The trail is in fairly good shape considering it is not utilized very much. In some places vegetation is beginning to take over the trail. The trail for the most part was a ho-hum trail showing peek-a-boo glimpses of the surrounding mountains. Views are actually not seen until after you have hiked several miles. I got there before the bugs woke up which made the first part of the trail very quiet, almost eerie with the morning mist. The sun did not show it self until I had hiked up above the clouds. Low clouds were there to greet me when I returned to the trail head. Few wild flowers, no biting bugs, no streams to cross. Several blow downs encountered. Bring water; it was much warmer up above.

Trail was in good shape for the amount of use it gets. The views were nice. I saw the constance fire from the summit. Some surley trail runners made the trip a little less pleasant than it should have been. Road up to the trail head is in bad shape. High Clearance vehicles are a must if you want to do more then 10 MPH. At first the trail is fairly level and it feels like most of the elevation is gained in the final two miles. The last two miles are on an open ridge with some exposure and a narrow trail tread. There are peek-a-boo views of the Duckabush and Dosewallips Valley all along the upper ridgeline. There are also peek-a-boo views of Seattle, the Puget Sound and the Jupiter lakes. I just missed the big beargrass show. GPS totals 13.5 miles round trip 4,400 total ascent More details, maps and pictures on my blog http://mosswalks.blogspot.com/2009/07/jupiter.html

A beautiful day in the Olympics. Thank you to previous trip reporters who warned of the trailhead location being to the left at the junction instead of continuing up the logging road. We found it right away. It helps that there is new white signage at every road junction. The trail is just as described in Olympic Mountains Trail Guide by Robert Wood (3rd edition). We were thrilled by the rhodies and bear grass in bloom. Also lupine, paintbrush, and many others. From the top we could see downtown Seattle, Rainier, Baker, and even caught a glimpse of Mt. St. Helens! A little breezy and cool on top. There were clouds at about 6500 feet; above our heads, but covering the top of The Brothers and Mt. Constance. A few blowdowns on the trail were fairly easy to navigate. There are places higher up when the trail is wedged onto the steep side of the slope, with precipitous drops off to the south and a very narrow tread.

Opus and Trail Pair were heading to Marmot/Buckhorn. Too many people! Bad Dog hates the Olympics and headed to the Cascades and the snow. So, Middle E and the Driver were desperately seeking a location. Neither of us could do an overnighter. The Driver suggested Jupiter - good views and plenty of distance/gain. So, the agreed time was 6:20 a.m. to make the 7:10 a.m. Edmonds-Kingston Ferry. Jupiter isn't exactly easy to find - maybe that's a good thing. But if you are heading south on 101 from Quilcene, you'll turn right about .75 mile beyond milepost 309 - there is a very small street sign saying ""Mt. Jupiter."" Basically, follow the most obviously used road (there are a few signs keeping you on the right road). In about 7 miles, you'll get to the trailhead. Since the Driver had just done this trail virtually the same time last year, not much is new. http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7960771&highlight=Mt.+Jupiter There is a new road above the trail, when the gate is open, you can drive nearly another mile or so and park and then drop down to the trail and continue on as usual. The debris on the trail just beyond the trailhead has been cleared. I was amazed at the number of cars at the trailhead. There was only one other hiker on the trail last year. This is a mean little trail that starts out climbing up the clear-cut. You finally enter (briefly) the trees - a relief. It already was 70 at 9:30 a.m. Fortunately, I had plenty of water for ol' Gus - this is one dry trail! Take plenty of water! We were pleasantly surprised with all of the wonderful colors and flowers - not as many Rhodies as I remembered from last year, but there were still plenty of Rhodies for the gawking. The trail is pretty decent. There was very little new debris. There are a couple of old snags across the trail, but they are easily negotiated - either climbing over or going under. This trail travels a looong way along the ridge to Jupiter. You either are traversing a level trail, or hitting the ups and downs of following the ridge - first on the east side and then on the west side. At about 3.5 miles, there is a viewpoint. Many people turn around here. A noble hike. For those who love to torture themselves on a hot day, continue on. You won't be disappointed. You are in forest a lot - but when you break out into the open, there are plenty of views and lots of sun! At about 5.5 miles you enter the Brothers Wilderness. The trail meanders along the side of the first Jupiter peak (not the real summit. We could see the real summit, but knew it was a ways off. Finally, reaching the saddle between the two bumps of Jupiter, you could see some remaining snow - a welcome sight for Mr. G! We had been cruising by the 3 people we saw on the trail, but all of a sudden, some speed racer went zooming past us. Barry was tempted to catch him, but graciously waited for me. Gus, meanwhile, summited twice before we finally summited with him! Once we got to the summit, lo' and behold, the speed demon who passed us was someone Barry works with!!! Hard to recognize him when he was a mere blur! We spent about an hour on the summit - joined by three others. Poor ol' Gus couldn't find any shade, so we decided it was time to head down a little before 2:00 p.m.. We stopped a few times to get water and cool down. The route back is uneventful. Some irritating uphills when you want them least - - - and, it's just a long slog back to the car. All in all, 14 miles; 3:20 up and 2:30 down; probably about 4000' gain - about 3600 in and 400 out. We counted about 15 people - but there were some that didn't summit. It was 77 when we got back to the car (same as last year!) Fun day.

Note: There are two roads heading from the parking area....the Mt Jupiter trailhead is NOT through the gate heading right (north) of the parking area, but down a road to the south. You should see a billboard for the trailhead within 1 minute. We and two over parties went the wrong way up the logging road for 1/2 mile and 500 ft of elevation...not a good way to start a 14 mile day hike. The trail starts steeply (no warm-up) through deforested areas, but hits the National Forest limits (with needed shade) in 1/2 mile. The trail continues to climb for another 1/2 mile before getting to the ridge. Once on top of the ridge, its relative flat (some minor climbs and declines). Some downed trees to climb over or under interrupted the somewhat monotonous flats. There is a beautiful lookout at about 5 miles to views of The Brothers, the Cascades, and down to Duckabush River and Hood Canal. In another 1/2 mile you'll reach the Brother's Wilderness. The climb to the summit starts ~1/2 mile after this and you'll reach the summit ~1 1/2 miles and 1600 feet in elevation later. The trail for the climb is very clear but is becoming eroded in some steeper sections to the summit. Watch your footing on the loose gravel/dirt. The trail is clear of snow all the way to the summit. The trail is hot and dry so bring lots of water. We brought 3 quarts per person which would have been perfect if not for the 1 mile detour at the beginning. The wildflowers (Rhododendrons, Indian Paintbrush, etc) are past their prime at lower elevations, but once you reach the wilderness are right at peak. There were relatively no bugs except for the bees feeding on the wildflowers at higher elevations, but they won't bother you if you don't bother them. All in all, a long, challenging day hike, but worth the effort for the views at the summit.