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Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Distance: ~15 miles Round Trip
Trailhead: 680 feet
Highpoint: 2358 feet
Elevation Gain: 1678 feet
Hike Difficulty Calculator Score: 19
Trail Notes:
Pass/Parking: Parking Pass required, available at the Hoodsport and Quilcene ranger stations.
Driving directions at bottom of post.
As always, click on the pictures for easier viewing.
Photos of this hike are located here.
This will be an abbreviated trip report as our excursions to lower Lena Lake have been well documented in previous posts.
The recent weather forecast for the local area was sunny and low eighties. We were excited to get out in some really nice weather while trying out some new gear. Only three of us, Cheryl, Kiwi, and myself, played the intrepid adventurers that chose to deal with clear and cold mountain streams, spring time blossoms, warm sunny forests, and beautiful blue skies. We really do our best to survive these conditions. m:-)
Puget Sound morning MMMMSpringtime Forest MMMMMRare Clamshell Backpack
An easy familiar hike, we encountered many people along the trails making the most of the sunny day. There was even a group of scouts to rescue us in case of emergency. Far be it for me to complain, but the scouts weren't as well prepared as I would have expected. They did not have the fire going for my four o'clock tea nor were they any better on my requests for a cold, cool one or a massage of my tired feet. LOL But they sure were excited and all a twitter when I told them that we had seen some fresh snipe tracks further up the trail. M;-)
Camp setup went quickly with our new REI tents. I found the two-person tent just the right size for Kiwi and my hobbit sized feet. It could have used a little structural strengthening to accommodate the flat panel/DVD combo I brought. But hey, the scouts have to earn their badges helping others right? m :-) mFire starting went much easier this time. Instead of wasting time with a magnifying lens, or magnesium shavings, or the bow-drill method, I exerted my superior intellect over nature by groveling and begging Cheryl to start the fire. mLOLmShe had the fire roaring in no time. m:-)
Setting up Camp MMMMMMPsychological Friend MMMMThe Camp Companion
Earlier in the afternoon we headed out to explore the conditions of the Brother's Trail. This trail was expected to be hiked in the coming weeks by some trail mates of ours. We encountered almost immediately deepening snow and some blowdowns to contend with. It was not easy to keep to the trail even with no pack to carry. Maybe I'll enjoy the Brothers a little later in the year.
If you are new to hiking or a particular area, remember to ask for guidance from a person experienced with the locality. If you don't get your mountain peak during this hike, don't worry, the mountain will be there the next time you head out. m:-) mPlay it safe.
Along the Brother's TrailMMMThe Model for Ron's Assless Chaps? :-)
The highlight of this trip was the weather or rather the affects of the weather. A couple of days of unusual warm temperatures really accelerated the snow melt. The campsite from our previous outing to Lena Lake in April was completely underwater when we arrived in the morning. Both streams feeding the lake were swollen from racing snow melt. I had never seen such heavy flow here before. Just during our sleep time the level of the Lake rose about four feet and had begun to cover a few portions of the trail. My rough estimation is that the level of the lake rose about six feet during the whole time we were there. Really amazing to see the the natural cycles of the seasons play out. I'll try to capture some of the aspects in the video below.
First time see water here MMMEarly morning Lake level, ~ 30 inches from the tent!
Route Topo MMMMMMMMMRough Route Profile
Some more lessons learned by Mike on this overnighter.
1. Bring at least one beverage of your choice to enjoy at that just right moment.
2. Don't forgot the toothbrush unless you want to try and comb your tongue after the meals. :-)
3. Situate your campsite to take advantage of the natural surroundings. A chapter could be written on this topic alone.
4. Lightweight camp shoes would be enjoyable to use after the bulk of the pack is off and climbing is done for the day.
5. Use of a large collapsible container will minimize trips for water. MSR Dromedary?
6. I'm now convinced that a separate water purifier is more advantageous than an inline bottle.
7. 55 acre lake: 1 acre = 43,560 square feet. Multiply by 55 acres = 2,395,800 square feet. Multiply 10 foot height = 23,958,000 cubic feet. 7.48 gallons of water per cubic foot > 179,205,840 gallons of water entering the lake in ~24 hours. This means that ~125,000 gallons of water were entering the lake every minute! Anyone know the conversion for the amount of snowflakes to a gallon of water? LOL Rough math, please point out any errors.
8. Continuously learning...
Videos:
Part 1
Part 2
Driving Directions:
North of Hoodsport on US 101, turn west onto the Hamma Hamma River Road/Forest Road 25 (GPS N47 33.917 W123 01.038). Follow FR 25, which is paved all the way to the Lena Lake Trailhead parking area at approximately eight miles.
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