Lena Lake — Monday, Dec. 27, 1999

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

If you are looking for just the basics, the trail is clear and in very good shape all the way to Lower Lena except for two trees down between the second bridge and the lake. The Hamma Hamma valley was socked in with fog, and the fog had apparently been freezing for some time. The road was very slick for the final 5 miles to the trailhead. The first 500 feet of the trail are rather awkward because the moisture from the fog has created a layer of ice on all of the rocks, roots and leaves in the trail. The fog layer was about 300 feet thick, and the air above was crisp, clear and incredibly warm. In the shade at the overlook rock at the lake, the temperature was 61 degrees. The lake is newly frozen with a layer of clear ice, it is very beautiful and conchoidally fractured. There are perhaps half a dozen snow patches the size of my head at or below lake level. My head is large, but not large enough to make this a significant problem. The lake is very high, which might make camping interesting as most of the prime campsites are underwater. Based on past experience with both trails, The Valley of the Silent Men and Upper Lena trails probably become snowbound at between 2500 and 3000 feet. Apparently the recent fire on The Brothers is an impedement to travel. As always, this is an excellent hike, especially for the relaxed hiker, the slothful hiker or the hiker with young children.