Let's pioneer a new route up Mt. Defiance, he said.

Mailbox is too crowded, he said.

It'll be fun, he said.

Uh huh, I said. But I went anyway.

After 16 mailboxes it was time for a change. Mostly because Mr. Mailbox is fed up with a lack of reverence for the great postal peak.

So he climbed up late Tuesday night. He's silly that way. And he should have turned off his lights before he left the car.

Oh, it goes, he said.

It went, all right. Straight up. Steeper than Mailbox. No trail. Brush. Ok. It goes.

Rather than come down the same way, we opted to come down the actual trail. Well, part of the actual trail. And of course it was on the part that wasn't the actual trail that we had some... issues.

You know, the kind of issue that starts with, "You want me to kick steps? These crampons are doing pretty well," and ends with me crumpled against a tree.

Or perhaps the kind of issue that starts with, "It was right around here that I almost lost a finger to a post hole," and ends with Eric waist deep and struggling to get out.

In summary: Yeah, I suppose. And I never thought I'd say this, but I think I like Mailbox better.