Day Hike - Upper Lena Lake

The plan is to hike at least as far as Upper Lena Lake. We'll take an hour or so for lunch and rest. Then I'll take a poll, and if we can muster energy and enthusiasm, we'll wander off in the direction of Milk Lake. That will add about 2 miles and nearly 1000' to our hike, and I'm treating Milk Lake as an optional "stretch goal."

This is a long, challenging hike. We're likely to be out there for up to 12 hours. This will be anywhere from 14.5 to perhaps 16.5 miles, and 3600' to perhaps 4600' of gain. This is certainly going to be a challenge for me and it's a hike I have to train for, which is why I'm listing it so far ahead.  Leader's permission is required because I need to vet group members to verify that everyone else is at least as likely as I am to get through this hike without turning it into an "epic" experience.

A note to you super-fit folks:  You must agree to dawdle along at the pace of the group to remain within visible or audible distance. No sprinting ahead. 

We have a lot of daylight to work with because the 20th is the day before the actual solstice, and we might need most of it. I'll stop more often than I usually do for breaks along the way, and generally proceed at more of a backpacking pace. Pacing to reserve energy for the final climb is important on this one, especially if there's to be any hope of reaching Milk Lake.

Meet at 08:00 on Sat, 20 June at the Lena Lakes trailhead on the Hamma Hamma River Rd.