Lena Lake — Friday, Jan. 17, 2003

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

For a weekend that saw rain on the way, we decided to make the most of it and hike a trail that was popular for the Olympics. We ended up getting more than we ever hoped for. The day started off with more fog than we wanted but when you arrive at 11:00 in the morning the last thing you expect to see is fog. The trail itself is in terrific shape. If the WTA has been working here it wouldn't have surprised me. The trail to Lower Lena Lake is amazingly clear of debris because when you look at either side of the trail you see nothing but blown down logs and branches from the previous week of wind and rain. The trail was a nice warm up for both my fiance and myself since neither of us had done any recent hiking. The elevation gain is minimal compared to steep hikes like Wolf Creek Trail on Hurricane Ridge. The distance is pefect for a mid-morning hike with a lunch at the lake and nothing to view but the lake and the surrounding peaks. There is no snow to speak of on the trail, and is only in small places near the lake. However, we did not continue on the trail to the upper lake and could definitely have some snow.