9/21/98
Trip 4 Mount Jefferson 5712’

7.8 miles 2700’ Elevation Gain

Kevin and Judy,
Jane and Andre’,
Pedro and Lourdes and Dan

Up the Caps Ridge Trail to the summit of Jefferson, completely fogged in. This was Lourdes’s 1st climb. She got to climb a very hard mountain and got to see nothing but fog. We saw a toad in the rocks at the summit. We carried energy food like Jr. Mints. Don’t remember having raincoats but should have. Again we were lucky there was no rain. I carried all my camera gear for nothing. Should have carried bad weather gear and food and drinks. Climbed down to Gulfside Trail and followed it down into Sphynx Col then on to Jewell Trail. I tagged summit of Mount Clay thinking it would count, no one else was up for it. At bottom of Jewell Trail Dan drove K,J,J&A back up Jefferson Notch Road to our cars at Caps Ridge Trail. Andre’ and I drank cold beer and Jude and I got a tour of Jane and Andre’s Westphalia.

Mistakes on this trip.) Still tempting fate by hiking in bad weather without proper gear. Still carrying camera equipment rendered ineffective in foggy surroundings, should have been carrying proper food, drink and clothing. Carry something better for energy food than Junior Mints. Again, if I had read AMC’s White Mountain Guide I would have known that Mt. Clay was not considered a 4000 footer. K(6) J(4)