My Solo Hike at Mailbox Peak Trail near Seattle, Washington

My Solo Hike at Mailbox Peak Trail near Seattle, Washington

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It was pitch black outside at exactly 3:07 AM on June 15th. My friend Emily and l started our drive from Seattle to the Mailbox Peak trailhead located an hour from Seattle, Washington. We arrived and searched for the entrance to the trailhead in the early morning darkness.

We thought it would be great to go on a sunrise hike to the Mailbox Peak only to be greeted by a flag next to a sign that said: Trailhead gate opens 7:30 AM- 8:00 PM. Since this was our first time on this trail and no other cars were parked in the roadside parking lot, we decided to skip the Mailbox Peak trail and do our usual sunrise hike at Rattlesnake Ridge just a few miles away.

My disappointment at not being able to go on a sunrise hike at Mailbox Peak trail led me to come back two weeks later. This was my first solo hike in the Seattle area. I arrived at the roadside parking lot at 5:30 AM and found 5 cars already parked. I was comforted knowing that I wasn’t the only one who’d be on the trail this early in the morning.

Energized and a bit nervous, I started my hike up and for the next two hours, I couldn’t see a soul hiking up or down. My pace changed rapidly after I heard some noise which was not the usual birds chirping. I automatically feared it was a bear. A few weeks prior someone had reported seeing and locking eyes with a bear on this trail, so you can understand why I was worried. At some point, I can almost swear that there was a bear sniffing my neck which later felt like it yawned. It was not until closer to the peak that I came across a hiker coming down. This gave me some relief.

Finally, I came across a couple at an intersection that I later found out was the meet up point for the old and new trail. I had taken the new trail with lots of switchbacks and is a lot longer than the old trail, which is much steeper and more uphill.

I finally reached the top of the Mailbox Peak where I met two other guys, which made me the forth hiker of the day at Mailbox Peak and the first female up the mountain that day. Little pleasure, my friend, little pleasure of life is being a total girl boss. Cheers to team GirlBoss and to all women who hike. This was certainly an accomplishment for me and it felt good having done it all on my own.

If you are considering a solo hike, some things I highly recommend are: Ahead of time let someone know where you are going to hike. Text someone at the start of your hike and at the end of the hike. Carry a whistle, pepper spray, and a map and leave a map at the bottom of your car seat.

Check out my blog post for a list of all the hiking essentials you’d need on your next hiking adventure.The blog includes a list of where I bought the items so you can make a quick purchase of the items you need. I hope my solo hike to the Mailbox Peak trail inspires you to climb the mountains and enjoy the inspiring views here in the Pacific Northwest.
Happy hiking adventures and remember to travel with Irine and share your experiences with me.

Speaking of hiking adventures, I went on my longest hike yet which happened to be my first cold/wet hike totaling 20 miles/ 32 KM in a day. Click here (I will insert the link) to see some cool pictures I took of my hike from Pratt Lake trail to Island Lake to Rainbow Lake to Mason Lake, Mount Defiance to Talapus Lake then back to the Pratt Lake trail.

Pro-Tip: Take Exit 47 instead of the Exit 45 and you’ll avoid the gravel road which has potholes.

Here are 40 amaizing hikes near Seattle Washington to checkout.

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