Elevation Gain: Approximately 2000 ft.
Time: 10:30 am - 2:30 pm
Weather: Overcast. Rainy at low elevation, wet slushy snow at higher elevations.
It took me a long time to decide what hike I wanted to do this weekend. I usually have an idea mid-week, but this week had a variety of challenges. Not to go into too much detail, but in addition to the week before Spring Break at school and house-sitting/dog-sitting for friends, a good friend of mine spent two nights in the hospital. He is actually the good hiking buddy from work who goes on most of these hikes with me. The good news, my friend is back to normal and he is out of the hospital, but the bad news, he will not be hiking with me for a few weeks. While visiting him Thursday night, a friend of his that was there was telling me about good hikes in the lower part of the Olympic National Forest. She mentioned the Lena Lakes, and a quick look in my snowshoeing book had a good little hike description for the lower lake and the valley above to the north.
I got up early enough, got some food, filled the tank up, and was on the road by 8:40 am. I made it to the trailhead by 10:20 am. I got out and was doing all the little things I do when I get to a trailhead now. I took off my house shoes and put on my rain pants, boots, and gaiters. There were 3 people hanging around their car with big packs, and being the chatty person that I am, I began talking with them. They were waiting on the other 6 hikers that were in their party that camped out the night before. I was asking some questions like, "will I need my snowshoes," or, "how long does it take to get to Lower Lena Lake?" Got my answers (yes and about 1 and half or 2 hours), then gathered my pack and hit the trail.
I guess it was about 15 minutes into the hike, I realized I forgot my camera. Luckily, I had my phone recording the gps track, so I could use my phone for a few pictures. Bummer though, because my camera takes much better pictures, and I usually take more with my camera. The hike was good, a lot of switchbacks and uphill walking. I enjoy hiking by myself more than I ever thought I would before I began this commitment. I did pass a few people coming down, but I have started to notice that when I am walking in the woods my mind will actually stop for these brief moments. I just am thinking about my next step, the trail ahead of me, or the beauty around me. There are times when I am literally not thinking about anything else except the moment I am in. It is these moments I crave, moments when I am only focused on the present.
Around 11:20 am, I starting hitting patches of snow on the trail. I could keep walking in boots through these, and I kept waiting to put on my snowshoes. After a solid hour and a half without stopping, I got to the lake, still having not needed to put snowshoes on. I was immediately struck by the beauty of the lake while the snow was falling. I took a few pictures, but cell phone cameras never capture landscapes well. Rarely do digital cameras do nature justice, but it is a little better. I walked around the west edge of the lake crossed over to the north end, and continued up the trail towards "The Brothers." The Brothers is a pair of peaks about 6800 ft tall. I was not going to summit, but I did walk up the trail as if I were, and this took me into the Valley of Silent Men. Walked for about 45 minutes, and got stuck in a dead end. I saw the trail on the other side of the river, and I went to backtrack to find the fork. I found the fork in about 2 minutes, but I decided to head out.
I was back at Lena Lake around 1 pm. I ate lunch, took another picture, and began walking back to the car. I was in the parking lot at 2:30 pm.
Orchid: Seeing the Lake for the first time.
Onion: Not needing my snowshoes.
Picture:
Google Map
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