Forum Index > Trip Reports > Olympics/Hood Canal: Mount Jupiter 17 May 2018
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kitya
Fortune Cookie



Joined: 15 Mar 2010
Posts: 842 | TRs | Pics
Location: Duvall, WA
kitya
Fortune Cookie
PostSat May 19, 2018 10:51 am 
Since I’ve never been to Jupiter, I figured this would be the next best thing. It is an easy hike, but I don’t see too many trip reports from it, so hopefully it will be useful. Mount Jupiter road is an unpaved road in very good condition. No potholes at all. Unfortunately it is gated about 2.5 miles from the trailhead. Me and Cookie parked just near the gate (there is very little space, but I saw no other people or cars) and walked the road. Please notice that the trailhead is actually a little bit off the main road and impossible to see. It also has no visible parking and clearly had better days.
Once on the trail, trail goes up through a very sad massive clear cut for the first few miles. There is also a section of the trail completely destroyed by have logging machinery. Eventually trail reaches second growth forest and follows a long ridge staying in the shade. There are many-many rhododendrons everywhere. Small number already has flowers, but more are just preparing to flower and will put an amazing show soon. I often think of the desert or open alpine meadows for wildflower hikes, but here rhododendrons cover the whole forest. Interestingly they seem to love shade. In open places, where forest is logged, all rhododendrons are completely dead too. Supposedly there are good views, but we didn’t see any due to low clouds following us. Trail is very narrow and overgrown in places, but in good conditions and only a few blowdowns. It is also completely dry – there is no single creek flowing anywhere, so bring lots of water. Just around 5000 feet trail enters snow and the more interesting rugged rocky terrain and navigates steep and very narrow ridge to the summit. Huge snow drifts around the rocks make for more interesting and fun scramble. ~20 miles r/t but only 5876 ft gain. Surprisingly lots of ticks too, I didn’t expect them in Olympics, but looks like this year they are almost everywhere. [url]https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2707377493 [/url]
P.S. The next day we hiked much more popular trails (taking advantage of a weekday). First in the morning we stopped by Mount Rose, just because a few years ago I tried to hike it in winter snow storm and got lost before the summit. This time navigation was easy and only a little bit of snow remained on top. Sadly there is quite a bit of toilet paper on the trail on the way to Rose and wilderness sign is defaced by many graffiti.
After Rose, since it is such a short hike, we decided to go for a quick afternoon hike up Mount Elinor too, just because it is so nearby. We started from the lower trailhead, but I think upper trailhead is open too. Road has many deep potholes trying to eat my prius alive. Climbing Elinor in the afternoon was somewhat of a bad idea, due to soft snow baking all day. Winter route (long avalanche chute) is very steep in places and very soft. I definitely wouldn’t have made it without my ice axe and crampons. A few of the glissading tunnels now have melting hole into a waterfall. Didn’t see any goats, but found some goat footprints in the snow. We also found a bunch of trash (like beer bottles) in the avalanche chute and we packed it out for recycling. ~14 miles, ~6800 feet gain for both mountains combined, another very relaxing day in Olympics.

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Jake Robinson
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Joined: 02 Aug 2016
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Jake Robinson
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PostSun May 20, 2018 8:07 am 
Thank you for the excellent report and photos. You guys covered a lot of ground! I have a family member that always used to tell a story about that glissade on Ellinor. Back in the '70s he was glissading the chute and all of the sudden became airborne. He flew right over a bottomless hole in the snow and just barely made it across to the other side without falling into a waterfall; his closest call ever in the mountains. With the increasing popularity of Ellinor I hope we don't start seeing accidents there similar to the ones that have occurred on Aasgard Pass.

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kitya
Fortune Cookie



Joined: 15 Mar 2010
Posts: 842 | TRs | Pics
Location: Duvall, WA
kitya
Fortune Cookie
PostSun May 20, 2018 8:45 am 
Jake Robinson wrote:
I have a family member that always used to tell a story about that glissade on Ellinor. Back in the '70s he was glissading the chute and all of the sudden became airborne. He flew right over a bottomless hole in the snow and just barely made it across to the other side without falling into a waterfall; his closest call ever in the mountains. With the increasing popularity of Ellinor I hope we don't start seeing accidents there similar to the ones that have occurred on Aasgard Pass.
Scary!!! I never glissade down for these reasons anymore. I'm in SAR and we get many stories of glissading going wrong. Safer to walk down and be in control. Also glissading is kind of strange if you try to do it with a dog anyway smile.gif

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