Lena Lake — Sunday, Jun. 21, 2026

40+ cars in the parking area at 9:50 a.m. on this longest day of our orbit, Sunday, June 21, 2026. Skokomish ancestral lands.

The full lot did not foreshadow a bustling trail—perhaps overnighters at the upper lake or beyond were still mobilizing when our group of three set out. This trail is wide with an exceedingly moderate grade through to the lake. The rushing of an unseen creek oscillated in and out of earshot; quaint footbridges crossed dry creek beds.

Spotted: a grouse; a garter snake; leftovers that someone had dumped out at a campsite; a habituated and food-conditioned duck; a sole trailside rhododendron in bloom; twinflower hugging the the backslope, flowers like minuscule gnome hats descending from the celestial spheres.

3.5 hours start to finish including a snack break on a log.