Upper Lena Lake — Saturday, Sep. 3, 2016

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

A friend and I hiked up to Upper Lena Lake on Saturday to spend two nights at the Lake. We had gotten reservations and set out. The road to the Lower Lena trailhead is paved the whole way so there are no issues. And the Lower Lena Lake trail is easy with no issues. Once you get onto the Upper Lena Lake trail, the fun starts. Overall the trail is not too bad. Steep in some sections and 2-3 blowdowns that you have to crawl under. We were warned about the boardwalk hornets that seem to attack everyone. We actually met someone who said he got stung about 20 times. The hornet nest is just after a wooden boardwalk on which someone has written 'hornets'. Look to the left and follow the red flags to get around them. After getting to the lake, be warned that many of the camp sites are small. We got there after some rain and several of the sites had pools of water. While we were there, some people camped in the day use areas. The nights got cold and in the mornings our tents were covered in frost. A fire would have been nice, but they are not allowed at this location. On Sunday, I hiked off to try to find Scout Lake. The trail to it is no longer maintained but fairly easy to follow. Only when you get about 1/2 from the lake does the trail play hide-and-seek. Other notes: tons and tons of blueberries were to be found along the trail and around the lake. There are bear wires and toilets (not enclosed, no walls). The views at night of the stars were amazing with no moon in the sky. The trail down can be slippery when wet, would definitely recommend hiking poles.