A Current Outing

Yesterday a friend and I hiked the Lena Lake trail on the Olympic Peninsula.  The trailhead is about an hour and a half from Olympia with easy access over paved road.  My hiking partner and I attempted this hike in late December but found the forest road impassible due to snow and a low clearance vehicle.  Yesterday we encountered no such obstacles.  Driving Route 101 on the way to the trailhead, we had spectacular views of snow-capped Olympic ridges as the morning clouds lifted and the sun broke through.

According to the Olympic Peninsula day hiking guide, Lena Lake is an "extremely popular back country lake surrounded by ancient timber" and generally overused.  No doubt that comes from the easy road access and the short (3.2 mile) distance to the lake on well-maintained trail.  Pretty much anyone capable of basic mobility can get there. 

That's not to say the hike requires no effort.  The trail climbs 1,300 feet total, maybe half of that in the first mile.  The long switchbacks lessen the grade but it's still a climb.  Along the way, we passed through boulder fields surrounded by dense forest, skirted under a rock overhang and found water streaming in many places.  At 3 miles we found a nice spot where the trail first encounters the Lena Lake, on a bluff well above the water with a view of the lower end of the lake.  Farther along are designated campsites and a very impressive composting privy (closed for the maintenance).  A few campsites were occupied but we saw only, tents, tarps and hanging food bags.  No people.  We crossed the bridge over Lena Creek and found a lunch spot nearby.

For people, we encountered a fairly large troop of Boy Scouts (at least 20 plus adults) who camped on the other side of the lake, and day hikers.  Not counting the scouts, we saw most of the people as we walked out.  The day was mostly cloudy, sometimes sunny.  It clearly favored the 70 percent chance of no showers implied by the predicted 30 percent chance of showers forecast for the day.  I expected at least some damp and drizzle.  Its absence made for a leisurely, pleasant walk.  Starting out I wore a rain jacket over a polypro long-sleeve turtleneck hiking shirt but removed the jacket soon enough.  The shirt was plenty comfortable as long as I was moving.

Actual hiking time was about four and half hours, including lunch at Lena Lake, dawdling at the 3 mile viewpoint and taking photos.  We made it to the 3 mile point in about an hour and a half, which includes Scott returning to the car shortly after we started walking to make sure the headlights were off (they were).   My arthritis did not give me any problems walking; it was most noticeable when I had to scramble around the few obstacles in trail.

The trip ended at the Fish Tale Brew Pub in Olympia.  In all, a very nice day.

Here are a few images.

Boulder Field

Overhang

 

 Waterfall

Another Waterfall

Lena Lake