It hadn't rained in Olympia for the past week, so the conditions on trail were pretty good. Closer to the top, I started to encounter wet trails, until there was a pretty steady stream crossing over rocks, and then there started to appear snow on the trail. I'd say about 2-inches of snow at the most, so easy to cross, but caution needed not to slip.

I was able to drive to the trail head in my 2009 Honda Civic no problem, great road conditions. 

Thank you to the work parties whose diversions and canals really helped keep the trail dry!

Trail is very wet! I managed in trail runners but had two extra pairs of socks in my pack just in case. There are a few spots where it's literally a little creek running down the trail. The lake is also very high. This was my first visit to Lena Lake but from what I could tell it was at least 10 feet higher than normal—fire rings were underwater and there was no beach to speak of. Nice time of year to visit though, not busy on the trail and great to be able to visit an "alpine" lake this late in the season. There was a dusting of snow at the tops of the surrounding hills which made it extra scenic!

There are some very friendly Canada Jays ready to steal your snacks at the lake viewpoint. Reminder not to feed these sweeties, as tempting as it may be!! <3

Staying for a while on the Hood Canal I decided to do this one on a rainy morning overcast morning.

Trailhead: Basically a widening of the FS road with parking on both sides. There is a pit toilet which was pretty clean and stocked with TP. There were probably about 15 cars parked there both when I was heading out and coming back. 

Trail: This trail was remarkable for how little mud and water was on it. Incredibly built trail with solid switchbacks as you go up the hillside of the Hamma Hamma River Valley. This part of the forest you can tell gets less moisture. It is a little bit more sparse, with an open canopy, and some views across the river. After the switchbacks you move back into the Lena Creek valley, which is a much denser forest, crossing the creek at a place where it was running under ground. After making it to the lake, there is a great lunch rock with a high up over look of the lake, a place where the steep lake shore is easily accessible, and paths that go back to upper lena lake and the brothers. I was going to try to at least make it to the wilderness boundary and thought I had read somewhere that there was a log bridge crossing the inlet stream, but I couldn't find it. It might be seasonal. Either way, the place next to the creek had no one else around and was a lovely place for me to turnaround and have lunch by myself. I ended up going a tad over 7 miles round trip with 1650 elevation gain total. It took me a little over 3 hours in all. There were certainly people out on this popular hike, but shoulder season is a great way to experience it with not as many people and I frequently had times where I was alone on the trail. 

Wildlife: outside some douglas squirells on the trail and some ducks on the lake, didn't see anything else. 

The road in was perfect. Arrived at 9:30 and there was plenty of parking. We arrived just in time for a break in the rain. If you don’t have one there is a machine to buy a NW Forest pass for parking but it wasn’t working. You can do a paper pay envelope but you need check or cash for 5 dollars. To be clear, we only went to Lower Lena Lake. The trail is rocky in places and lots of exposed roots both of which are slippery when wet but not horrible. Trail is wide and well traveled. There weren’t many people and there was plenty of room for a nice lunch break at the lake before returning. It took us 4:00 including about 30 mins for lunch and we are not super fast. 

One of my go-to hikes because it is so accessible year round. Arrived around 11 am and seem to hit the perfect window. There were about 15 cars in the lot, but we had the trail to ourselves most of the time. some water on the trail for the first mile or so. Recommend waterproof shoes. Good views of the lake at the lunch rock. Robber Barons are as bold as ever. Passed a couple big groups who were going to camp. Hope they stay dry. Good day, good hike.