My Pacific Northwest: Lena Lake

Saturday's hike was a fun one for me. I had been wanting to get on some hikes on the Olympic Peninsula where I grew up, but hadn't really made it over there for one. My cousin, Amy picked this one out and joined Adventure Dog and I with her dog, Stickeen.

It was a perfect pick for the day. It was a misty drizzly day and the hills were shrouded in clouds. This 5 mile round trip hike is switchbacks pretty much all the way to Lena Lake, but they are at a gentle grade, so a fairly easy hike. The wild rhodedendrons which had started to bloom further down on the coastal road, were still tightly budded on the trail, but the usual yellow violets, trillium, and bleeding hearts lined the path.

The sweet discovery was that little orchids called calypso, or fairyslippers also grew along the path in numbers I've never experienced before. I had always thought they were ladyslippers, but I guess those are much bigger at 2-4 inches rather than the little 1 inch blossoms we saw on this hike. These little beauties only grow in old forests, near other plants in particular such as Douglas fir, salal and oregon grape, and once an area of forest is cut they do not continue to grow there.

Most of the streams that crossed this well-maintained trail had lovely bridges over them.

There was no big wildlife, but we saw some little creepy crawlies. I like these yellow-spotted millipedes with their bright dots like the lights on a carnival ride. I also like banana slugs. Not because I like slugs in particular, but it's really amusing to me that they look like bananas. These slimy little guys help break down decaying organic matter into the rich soil we have here.

The lake itself was beautiful. It was way up its banks due to the warmer weather melting snow above. Trees were up to their knees in the shallows, reminding me of a southern swamp. The water was crystal clear and a deep turquoise color. There are some nice campsites along the lake as well and a large group of boyscouts were staying there.