Mailbox Peak 4.7.04

After last week's foiled attempt, I was back for another try. The weather was dry and mild with low cloud ceiling. My goal for the day was to do Mailbox and then traverse to West Defiance. I made fairly good time to the summit where I was greeted with dense cloudcover that limited visibility to less than 25 feet. As I summited I was treated to two men with Pit Bulls that were overly aggressive, I was forced to tag the peak and descend all without breaking stride. On the way down I picked up parts of what I think is the trail that eminates from the Fire Academy. I was alittle concerned when I didn't recognize any landmarks for a 1000ft of descent. I was much relieved when I rejoined the regular trail. Just to add a little spice the truck was acting up when I started it. I limped into North Bend where I stopped and checked to find the cap for the power steering pump was loose and very low on fluid. I was much relieved that it was so simple to fix, or at least that is what I thought. The adding of fluid didn't stop my problems. I realized that a bolt had come out on the alternator allowing it to slide a bit causing the blades to hit metal. Not having any tools with me I decided to try and drive the remaining 25 miles home. One of the best things about having a beat up hiking truck is that you are always $1000 away from a replacement. Lucky for me I made it home with the truck still running.