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A different sort of scramble route for this often done I-90 peak.  We went up the north ridge and down the southwest ridge on the regular trail.  Parking at the normal spot across the road from a gate instead of heading for the trail head, we went left and followed the road for a mile ot two to a point where it crosses the north ridge.  Ascending Mailbox on this side adds a few miles to the trip and a lot to the diffulty of terrain.  The lower part of the ridge is littered with downed trees and is fairly steep in spots.

On the upper part, it's the densely packed and this time of year, snow laden trees that make progress tough.  Otherwise, route finding isn't too much of a problem and the ridge itself is pretty easy to stay on or near the top the whole way.  There can be avy risks near the top on both the north and south sides of the peak, so be sure of conditions before you attempt this in winter or early spring.

Directions:
Drive Interstate 90 and get off on Exit 34 (Edgewick Road), turn left, pass the Seattle East Auto Truck Plaza and turn right on Middle Fork Road. The road splits at the end of the pavement and rejoins at Valley Camp (2.1 miles from the turn onto the Middle Fork) -- it doesn't really matter which road you take. Three-tenths of a mile further look for three roads off to your right. The middle road (gated) is the beginning of the hike. You'll find plenty of room to park. 

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All original content ©CascadeDreams - All rights reserved.Last Revision: 15 Nov 2009