I went up late on the 4th, hitting the trail about 2:50pm. I have been appreciating going later in the day, enjoying the late sunset times and having the trails a bit more to myself. I have to admit I took my time at the car looking up at the hill. This was my first time on Mailbox and I knew it was going to be harsh, but was still impressed that anyone would have thought to put a trail in such steep terrain.
The heat and bugs on the way up were unpleasant, but not too bad. They certainly made rest stops a bit shorter than I might have otherwise liked though. The wild flowers were out in force up top and I found no mud spots at all. I reached the top around 5:10. I had the summit to myself for about 15 minutes. It was amazing to take in the sights, have such a glorious panorama all to myself. Someone had placed an American flag on the mailbox and I decided on the 4th a few pictures were in order. One person appeared at the top shortly after I did. We were the last two people on the mountain that day. I was a little concerned leaving anyone behind me so late in the day on such steep terrain, but she passed me about a third of the way down so the only person to worry about was me! I hit the parking lot a little after 7 which was just enough time to get home to clean up and get out to see fireworks back in the city. All and all a great day.
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