Now that my weekdays are kid free I knew I wanted to fit in
some hikes while the weather was still nice. I sent a text to Sommer suggesting Snow Lake – which is a
relatively flat (1800 foot gain) 7.2 mile hike around a lake. I hadn’t done it before and it sounded
enjoyable. Sommer’s response back
asked if I’d be up for Mailbox Peak instead. She wanted us to climb it for our 40th birthday last year
(I’m 3 days her senior), but my knees were in pretty bad shape so I passed and
missed out. It was time for redemption
I suppose so I reluctantly agreed.
Mailbox is listed as a 9.4 mile hike and boasts a 4000 foot gain. I was nervous.
Erin was willing to join us and at the last minute she was
able to convince Kirsten as well.
I felt great most of the way up it was so beautiful.
Sommer and I waited here on these boulders to spot Erin and
Kirsten before turning the bend and heading up the last push to the
summit. That’s when the hike got
tough. Very tough. Like bear crawling my way to the top
tough.
Without question Mailbox is the hardest hike of my
life. It was worth it though - the
views from the top were truly unbelievable!
Sommer had packed three freshly picked apples (not knowing
the Kirsten was coming). She
graciously gave away her delicious apples at the summit, which was the best
treat. True friend that girl!
I left a handful of Werther’s Originals in the mailbox in memory
of my Dad’s birthday and the 20 year mark since his funeral. It sounds impossible that it’s been
that long. He is missed. Every day.
We stopped on our way down to take a picture of the boulder
portion of the hike that we had to climb up.
My watch registered nearly 11 miles by the time we got back
to the trailhead. The way down was
painful. My knees were screaming
at me with every step. Thankfully
I brought some hiking poles that eased some of the pain and since Erin was
hurting as well we were able to take it slow without feeling like we were
holding everyone back.
We live in such a beautiful area!
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