Today's hike up to Lower Lena Lake was all about snow. There was snow along the side of the Hamma Hamma Road from the moment we turned off Highway 101. After a couple of miles there was snow on the road as well, with two clear tire tracks separated by a center strip of snow high enough to be scraped by our SUVs. By the time we reached the junction with the Jefferson Lake road, there was no more pavement to be seen, although there were still tire tracks and we had no real difficulty getting up the hill and on to the trailhead. The TH parking was all snow covered, to a depth of several inches.
The trail was snow covered from start to finish. From a depth of few inches at the bottom it reached two feet or more by the time we reached the second bridge. While there were tracks to follow, the snow was soft and caused numerous postholing in the upper stretches. We stopped at the lunch rock and enjoyed the view over a snow- and ice-covered Lena Lake before turning around and slipping and sliding our way back down. Microspikes helped but the tread was still difficult at times. Snowshoes would have been useless in the many sections where the trail went through a snow-lined trench.
Our weather was cloudy and cool (upper 30s) but dry, with the exception of a brief snow flurry during lunch. We encountered one couple on our way down, but otherwise had the trail to ourselves. Given the cool temperatures in the immediate forecast, I would guess the snow will be around for several more weeks.
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