Mount Jupiter

Mount Jupiter Winter Scramble on 11/21/2015:
Incredible views, words used by party members to describe the trip were splendiferous, sublime, lovely, and just plain beautiful. While normally a very strenuous hike, the trail has portions passing through cliffs on the last mile that made it a full on winter scramble. The fresh snow we encountered (~2 feet near the summit) still afforded safe passage using snowshoes and ice axes, while still revealing the line of the trail. With a bit more snow I could envision it being very difficult to find the track as well as avoiding the risk of sliding off the trail over a cliff should a slide occur. The trip started at ~1200' elevation at a locked gate with tight parking for 4-5 cars. After hiking logging roads for ~2.5 miles you reach a Y at ~2000. Take the left branch a short distance to reach a sign near the beginning of the 'official' trail. After passing through a few clear cuts you reach the ridge crest where the trail is mostly level with a few ups and downs that add to the total elevation gain. With our strong party was able to make it all the way to the summit of Mount Jupiter and back in ~11 hours. The entire trip (including the road walk) was ~5000' elevation gain over ~20 miles.
Photos by Eve, Jon, and myself (in that order) can be seen at the following links:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/113527163@N07/sets/72157661606686295
https://www.flickr.com/photos/21354584@N08/sets/72157659206709714/
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B08GIcgc2sbmtZ