Mt. Juneau

When I think back to my summer in Juneau, most of my best memories involved the awesome company that I surrounded myself with. I made several lifelong friends that summer, and most of them accompanied me on my adventures at one time or another.

That being said, I also enjoy getting out by myself every once in a while. Company is always preferred, but solo adventures can also be extremely rewarding in their own way. I often find that I notice things while alone that I might overlook if my attention is diverted to the person (or people) that I'm with. To me, every sense feels more enhanced if I am able to fully focus on my adventure.

One of the only times all summer that I got out for a solo trip was a trek up Mt. Juneau, which is one of the closest mountains to downtown Juneau.

Mt. Juneau stands at 3,576 feet, and the trail to the summit is only about two miles long. The last stretch is especially steep, and requires hand over hand scrambling. This is definitely one for more advanced hikers, but it doesn't require a full day (for most) simply because of the fairly short distance.

The route up Mt. Juneau starts on the Perseverance Trail for the first mile before coming to the Mt. Juneau junction. Once on the Mt. Juneau trail, you steadily climb switchbacks and start gaining significant elevation. The trail actually flattens out for a while as it skirts around the mountain's flank. Here's a look at this area (look closely and you can see the trail begin to climb straight up the mountain in the distance):

I stopped just before the trail began to ascend again to evaluate the last push to the summit. It was straight up and steep, but I knew what I was getting myself into.

What appeared to be the summit in the above photo actually turned out to be false. After cresting it, the true summit finally came into view.

 

The last stretch was tough, and there were a couple of times when I felt myself sliding downhill as I tried to propel myself up the trail. It was tough going, but I knew the summit views and feeling of accomplishment would be well worth the effort.

 

I put my head down and focused on putting one foot in front of another, and before long, I was at the summit.

 

Looking towards the Gastineau Channel:

As I was enjoying the view, a wall of low, wispy clouds came floating past.

Old structure on the summit:

I wandered the summit for a while, enjoying the phenomenal views in every direction.

 

As I started back down the trail, I couldn't help but snap a few more pics.



Douglas Island, with Admiralty Island sticking up beyond: 

I like how clouds always add a unique perspective to any view.

Continuing downward, a good look at the steepness of some sections of the trail:

I finished the hike, thoroughly enjoying the time alone and the opportunity to connect with one of Juneau's most accessible mountains.

Mount Jumbo

When thinking back on all the memorable and scenic hikes from my summer in Juneau, perhaps none were as spectacular as the hike to the summit of Mt. Jumbo (also known as Mt. Bradley).

Mt. Jumbo had the special appeal of being the highest point on Douglas Island. Since I was without a vehicle for the summer and my transportation options were limited to the public bus and my mountain bike, finding my way to Douglas Island wasn't especially ideal. I had heard great things about the hike, and I felt dumb to not take advantage of any opportunities to explore new areas. The hike was sure to be well worth the inconvenience of finding my way to Douglas.

A mix of friends/roommates and I took the bus to Douglas, which didn't turn out to be as big of an ordeal as I thought it would be. Once we were there, I realized that my map didn't show the streets in great detail so the exact location of the trailhead was a bit of a mystery. After a few blocks of wandering, we finally found it.

The trail started off in a dense evergreen forest, and for the first mile, the elevation gain was gradual, and even fairly flat in some areas. Of course, I knew that wasn't going to last long. Like most trails leading to peaks around Juneau, Jumbo didn't mess around with switchbacks, and instead tackled the contours head on. The hike starts near sea level before rising over 3300 feet in 2.6 miles.

My camera stayed in my backpack for most of the hike as I focused on the relentless elevation gain. The trail was one of the steepest in the Juneau area and rivaled Thunder Mountain and Mt. Juneau for most elevation gained in such a short distance. All of these trails required areas of scrambling, and if they were much steeper, I'd classify them as more of a "climb" than a "hike".

The day started out very overcast (like most days in Juneau). As we neared the summit, the clouds began to break up, and a feeling of being in amongst them was the new reality. We could see across the channel and into downtown Juneau.

A different perspective:

Soon, we reached the summit, where more awesome views were to be had.

We found a good resting spot at the summit, where Brett took a previously concealed 6-pack of Kokanee beer out of his backpack and handed them out to the group. It was a pleasant and tasty surprise. A summit view is tough to beat, but a summit view while enjoying a beer with good company is unsurpassed.

The crew (left to right): Lauren, Tony, Peter, and Brett:



The official summit shot (Brett, me, Tony, Peter):

It was truly an awesome day to hang out on top of a mountain. Great company, great scenery, and great beer. What more could you ask for? Not much, in my book.