Mount Jupiter — Friday, Jun. 23, 2000

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

Three of us chose to hike Mt. Jupiter on Saturday (6/24), despite the thick fog and drizzle. The recommendation to take the Edmonds ferry over did cut driving time from Seattle greatly (thanks). The road to the trailhead is still as rough and tumble as ever. The few signs along the road for the trailhead are very helpful. We couldn't see much of anything but fog the whole way up. The trail is well maintained though, making the trek much faster and easier than expected. Some snow near the top but no problem finding the trail. We saw a few groups coming up and down the mountain. The ones coming down confirmed that climbing higher up the trail did not get you out of the deep fog. The ones going up weren't as determined to get to the top since the view was the same wherever we were on the trail. We never met up with them at the top. We reached the top at about 5pm and stayed long enough to see all the rain and fog clear by 6pm. We had no idea how close the Brothers were until then! I had hesitated in bringing the binoculars and camera to the top but was thankful that I had packed them when this incredible view cleared in the late afternoon light. We really could see the Space Needle, Mt. Rainier, and all the Olympics around us! The hike down was beautiful in the evening colors of a sunset. A long hike but very rewarding.