Mailbox Peak

There are very few hikes that makes me feel like I've actually accomplished something, Mailbox Peak is one of them. To say this hike was tough is an understatement.
You know how you can tell a hike is about to kick your ass really hard? When they actually bolt down holds on trees for grip, so that people don't plummet to their doom.
This is the kind of hike you want to take a newbie hiker to if you wish for them to NEVER hike again. It's extremely steep uphill with maybe 20 strides of flat throughout the entire hike. I thought I knew a thing or two about hiking until this. My buddy and I scoped out this hike because we wanted something a little tougher than Mt. Si with approximately the same hiking distance, so we found this WTA site which listed Si as "More Difficult" while Mailbox was "Most Difficult". So we were mentally prepared for this, but I honestly believe that if someone randomly dragged me into this hike without warning me about the difficulty, I would declare that person my worst enemy and never speak to this person again. The trail was that evil. I've always felt hiking was super simple, you put one foot in front of the other, no big deal. This place makes you feel like you will fucking die if you take a wrong step...hell, when you get near the top with all the random postholes, you feel like you might die even if you took the right step. You get weak-knee'd just looking back at the trail that you've just climbed! The second half of the trail isn't so much a trail, it's really just a steep side of a mountain with a lot of tall trees...see at some point, all the undergrowth is gone due to lack of sunlight, so it's hard to see where the trail is. Pretty much, you sometimes see a thing that resembles a trail, and other times, just keep hiking uphill and hope to see a trail. When you think you're finally done, you're very very wrong.
There is still more climbing, I saw a grown man almost cry. During a short photo break, this guy climbed up near us, and said, "Oh thank god it's over, my calves were about to give up." I told him...that's too bad because right behind me is still a giant climb.
As we approached the top, we noticed there was a group of people playing up there with their dogs. They had all sorts of mountaineering gear, with pickaxe and stuff. What does a person do with one pickaxe up here? A few people were using this peak as a training ground for climbing Mt. Rainier.
What is in this mailbox? Like every damned mailbox, this one has a free trial AOL CD. Of course.
<---The hike up under the sun was sweaty and very sweaty. Those people have been hanging out for a while. The view up top was insane! When they call this place a "Peak" they really meant PEAK, you get this amazing 360 view. On the stitched photo, you can see Mt. Si waaaay on the right.Last time I hiked Mt. Si, I was still in shape to go shopping at the mall and clubbing that night. With Mailbox Peak, I will probably be limping around tomorrow in pain, sobbing, "God, why have you forsaken me!!?" A cold beer sounds nice.