Lena Lake — Thursday, Apr. 1, 2010

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

We reached the empty trailhead at 10 a.m., seeing only a lone coyote on the drive in. It was a sunny, quiet morning and the trail was in excellent shape. A winter wren gave us a good look (and a good buzzy warning, I think, to keep moving along). Pine siskins and juncos chattered. Shrubs in the understory are poised to begin leafing out. Enjoyed a few trillium, fawn lilies, and yellow violets near the start of the trail. We encountered only one blowdown just before reaching the lake, but it was easy to cross thanks to a notch that someone had carved out. Enjoyed lunch in the sun on the rock above the lake, and saw four other parties on the trail today. A wonderful time of year to visit Lena - escape the summer crowds!