Let me start off by saying Rangers lie. I've been making that statement for about 20 years now. Long ago my then-8-yr-old son and I attempted a hike to Lake Angeles via the Switchback Trail. The trailhead sign said it was five miles. The ranger we met along the trail assured us we were almost there. After 4 hours of hiking we still weren't there. A trail marker said we had 1.5 miles left to go. We hiked another hour and gave up. It was decided then that rangers lie. The trail markers are all wrong because they're placed by the rangers, who lie. Trail guides - uh huh, written by rangers. Guess who draw the maps? Yep, rangers. To this day, we have never found Lake Angeles and are pretty much convinced it doesn't exist. You've hiked to it you say? We say you hiked to a body of water you thought was Lake Angeles, because Lake Angeles doesn't exist.
All the trail guides say that the trail to Lower Lena Lake is five miles. I've naively believed that distance because the trail guide said so, but when I last hiked to Lena Lake, it felt like so much more. This past weekend my friend Chris M. and his son joined me on a hike to Lena Lake ... and Chris was armed with a GPS trail tracker. His GPS claimed a little over 7 miles. I know I average 2 mph hiking a moderate trail such as the Lena Lake trail, and we hiked 3.5 hours. Even by my less than impressive math skills, 2x3.5=7. (Mrs. Hoag will be impressed) My affirmation that rangers lie stands.
That said, we had a great hike. It rained on us the most the way up the 18 or so switchbacks to the lake, but it was a light rain and we were appropriately layered. This is, after all, the PNW. If you're afraid of hiking in the wet, you're going to spend your life on the couch. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with sitting on the couch - for some it's not an option - I'm just saying it's not the life for me.
This trail never fails to deliver. From picturesque log bridges and a cascading waterfall to awesome granite outcroppings and humongous boulders, not to mention a forest full of trees, there are plenty of opportunities for photos. The trail very consistently climbed 1300 feet from the trailhead to the lake, which was beautiful. She lays tucked into the surrounding peaks and reflects their images back to them like a mirror. Her surface was rippled by a chilly breeze when we were there, setting some logs afloat as though they were ships destined for the opposing shore. The sun peeked its face through the clouds and gave us a preview of our afternoon's weather.
It's a well-worn trail and only rough (rocks & roots) for the bottom 1/4 mile or so, therefore I had no trouble ascending. Up is not usually my problem, although I usually need to stop for a breather from time to time - due to a lifetime issue with chronic anemia, my muscles don't get enough oxygen. Even at that, I didn't feel myself struggling with the ascent. After a lunch break at the lake, we started down and I pulled out my trekking poles, which help take some of the strain off my joints. I also wore an elastic knee support, which helped tremendously. I'm not positive, but I think I maintained our uphill pace on the return. I felt very much accomplished when we reached the trailhead, as my legs and back were doing great.
I had to take some Advil for some after-activity soreness in the knees Saturday evening, and my hips kept me from sleeping soundly Sunday, but otherwise my body hasn't complained. I am so glad that I am taking the time to gradually and consistently condition for our "big" climb. As soon as I have a few extra $$, I will be ordering some copper knee sleeves which will hopefully help even more. I'm scoring this hike a total success!
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