Thrashing around at Lena Lake

My view at lunch time

I had to catch my bus at 6:45 and I was not thrilled about that, but I was happy to be able to catch some pretty morning light on the canal and at the Lake.  I only stopped briefly at lunch rock because the sun was glaring both in the sky and off the water.

 

I had lunch in the rocks on the far shore.  I cooked a hot lunch and had hot tea.  I was unsure if I had enough time to circle the lake, but I was already too far around the lake to go back, so I made the circle.

 

The last bit of the circle was rough going and I was really worried about time, but I made it back to the trail with two hours to go before my pick up time.

 

 

I made it down in just 1.5 hours and had plenty of time to relax and have tea at the trail head pic nic table.  I was unsure about timing becuase I kinda quit going to Lena Lake after I got the parking ticket.  I had my pass displayed on my dash just like I was supposed to, but for some reason the ranger gave me a ticket anyway.  I've only been back one time since and even then I was worried about getting another unwarranted parking ticket.

 

No worries about getting parking tickets this time since I rode the bus!

 

I have a cold, so I only hiked one time this week.  It sure was nice to get out of the foul city air.

 

 

About 7.5 miles with 1,200 feet elevation gain

I lost my:

while thrashing around in the brush.. :(   If you follow the Amazon link and do some shopping it will raise funds so I can buy a new one.



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Video trip report, it might have an advertisment since I used some 3rd party content (music)


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Patches photobombs my trail head picture

Aquatic moss

My ride

Peltigera venosa

My morning bus ride up the Hood Canal

Green Diamond aka Simpson loves this blog

Green Diamond aka Simpson just loves this hiking blog.  I guess they have to come here to see what an actual forest looks like.

Big Creek Lower Ellinor

Photos from this hike:





Frozen Honey Mushrooms

Bald Eagles over Lake Cushman



Stump with tiny mushrooms
two weeks ago

Same stump this week



 

 

Closed for logging

Tea bag for a toe warmer now that I have waterproof boots again

Matsutake



waterfall

Late Fall Oyster Mushroom

Late Fall Oyster Mushroom

Late Fall Oyster Mushroom

Wagon Wheel Lake by bus - white wall of death day

Homalothecium megaptilum moss

A short video trip report:


Moss Walks 2014
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Driver jumped out just for a moment at Staircase to listen to the river and take a pit stop

I took the bus again today, Mason Transit does not go out to Staircase very often and both drivers really seemed to enjoy this change from their daily routine.  Scott delivered me to the trail and Shauna took me back home.  One driver enjoyed the sounds of nature, while the other driver enjoyed the sights near the causeway.

scaber stalk mushroom

 

 

The weather forecast was dire, tons of snow up high and pouring rain down low.  The forecast was wrong.  I had a nice hike.  I made it up to the lake in just two hours and fourty five minutes and there was hardly any rain or snow.

I had lunch at the big campsite above the lake, but first I had to scrape away a human turd that I found right after I sat down.  YUCK!!

You can see the scrape marks where I removed the turd

Chai mate tea, expired feta cheese and pepperoni for lunch
the expired Luna bar was just to hold the lid down.

First hike in my new boots.  My feet will have to break into these boots, there was some pain but no blisters. My feet stayed dry, happiness is dry feet in the rainforest in November. These boots (and Patches flea pills)  even at 50% off blew my budget for the month.  So please
buy a calendar or follow the Amazon link and buy something.  Consume something.. :)

Cross the outlet stream under this log to reach the main campsite and cub peak

Avalanche chute on the only flat part of this trail

Mount Lincoln in the fog from the avalance chute

some frosting near the avalanche chute

Pistol butted trees from all the snow

Pink shrooms, purple poles, green grass

I took me two hours to hike back down to the bus stop.  On the way down I found a Matsutake mushrooms.  This might have been the last one I will find this year.  Mushroom season is starting to wind down.

 

Matsutake

 

Perhaps the best bus stop ever

at 4.8 miles with 3,200 feet elevation gain
this hike is even steeper than the sign claims

According to this hiking 2.4 miles on a 24% grade is the same as hiking 9 miles on
a flat trail.  But going down hill on a trail like this is difficult too and is probably
worth more miles than a flat trail.