Lake Angeles

Yesterday I hiked to Lake Angeles, a beautiful mountain lake that sits at the base of a small glacial cirque at 4,196 feet (1,279m).  Hiking to the lake is a bit of a climb for the trail gains 2,350 feet (719m) in 3.5 miles (5.6km). 

The trail starts out near the Heart O' the Hills entrance station in Olympic National Park. Immediately as you step onto the trail, you are in a deep forest with a thick understory. Sword ferns, Polystichum munitum, bow at the edge of the trail and remind you that getting off the trail is nearly impossible. The thick dark green leaves of Salal, Gaultheria shallon,  shine with the drops of rainwater as you pass by. For the first mile, the sound of falling water resonates through the trees as the trail follows along side the Ennis Creek.  

As the trail rises, the understory thins to minimal patches of vegetation and mostly needles and compost. The trees become a thick stand forming a shadowing canopy at the top.  The calls of Pacific wrens (Troglodytes pacificus) become the dominant sound as the forest becomes very quiet without even a breeze.  In 1898 there was a fire in the area and this forest is second growth with a lot of young trees still racing to the top for a touch of sunshine.    

On this trail you will feel the calming and quieting gift of the trees.  Big trees that you will see along this trail:  Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), Douglas fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii) and Grand fir (Abies grandis).  Smaller deciduous trees that can be seen are the Red alder (Alnus rubra) and Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum). The leaves of the alders and maples have turned yellow for the autumn and where they are abundant, their leaves blanket the trail. 

Above is Lake Angeles with a dusting of snow on the ridge on a wonderful autumn day.