SCOUT LAKE WAY TRAIL Not maintained Length 3.0 mi/4.8 km Access Upper Lena Lake Trail; Lena Lake Trail USGS Maps The Brothers; Mount Washington; Mount Skokomish Agency Olympic National Park The trail that leads from Upper Lena Lake to Scout Lake is another way path created by human feet, but parts of it are as good as a constructed trail. For all practical purposes, it may be considered an extension of the Upper Lena Lake Trail. The trail begins near the lake's west shore (4550 ft/1387 m), where it crosses a creek, then climbs through grassy areas, patches of heather, and thickets of stunted mountain hemlock, Alaska cedar, and subalpine fir. During the fall, mountain ash and dwarf huckleberry make splotches of blazing red on the mountainsides. The delectable huckleberries are abundant in late summer, often causing hikers to dawdle along the trail. The scenery is splendid— Mount Bretherton rises ahead, to the left, but the summit is hidden from view by lower buttresses. Beyond a narrow, grass-choked lake, the trail crosses meadowland that sweeps high onto the slopes above. A stream here provides the last water for several miles as the trail ascends to and follows the ridge lying between Upper Lena Lake and Scout Lake, alternating between subalpine fir forest and meadow country, where dwarf huckleberry is abundant. Ahead one can see a cluster of peaks—Washington, Ellinot, and Pershing—cradling snowfields on their northern slopes; to the left, between the ridge and Mount Bretherton, is the deep valley of Boulder Creek. The trail then comes to a point where one can look down into the Duckabush Valley and see the ridges beyond, with Mount Anderson on the horizon. The path becomes less distinct now, but Cairns indicates the way, and the terrain is not difficult. The trail crosses to the Duckabush side of the ridge at Scout Lake Pass (1.7 mi/2.7 km; 5150 ft/1570 m), which is marked by a large cairn. Here one has an excellent view of Mount Anderson. At this point the trail leaves the ridge and descends through heather meadows and sandstone outcrops to Deerheart Lake (2.2 mi/3.5 km; 4970 ft/1515 m). Rocky slopes enclose the little tarn, with Mount Stone rising beyond. This is the first place where water is available on this side of the ridge, and a one-tent campsite is located at the lake's south end. Below Deerheart Lake the trail parallels the outlet stream, crossing it three times, then goes by a turnip-shaped lakelet (2.4 mi/3.9 km). At this point one should leave the trail and travel cross-country, going left through easy terrain to meadows, thus avoiding the steep descent to Scout Lake via the trail. The route is longer but much safer. The hiker should go south as far as the big meadow, where the Stone Ponds Way Trail can be followed north to its intersection with Scout Lake Way Trail. Experienced and adventurous hikers can continue on the trail, which beyond the lakelet becomes progressively steeper, with several ticklish places to scramble down. The route goes through rockslides and thickets of azalea and Alaska cedar, coming out beside a knoll where one has a good view of Scout Lake. The intense blue, almost indigo, expanse is impressive. Then, just below this point, the hiker has to clamber down a spot that is difficult to negotiate with a heavy pack. At the brink of an almost vertical face that falls away 40 feet or so, it is necessary to hold onto a root and swing out over space like a circus aerialist while searching for friendly footing. One must then move crablike to a mass of tree roots, from what it is possible to work downward to less precipitous terrain. Below this point the terrain loses much of its steepness, and the trail turns North and joins the Stone Ponds Way Trail (2.6 mi/4.2 km; 4500 ft/1372 m). The two trails coincide from here to Scout Lake; the route goes north, down a steep, rocky ravine, through scrubby subalpine trees, to a flat at the head of Scout Lake (3.0 mi/4.8 km; 4250 ft/1295 m). Scout Lake is about the same size as Upper Lena Lake, but it is long and narrow, with the outlet at the north end. Steep slopes border the lake—heavily forested on the east side, less densely so on the west, where the cliffs are broken by slides and talus slopes. The view across the water of the forested ridges is peaceful and tranquil. The lake contains rainbow trout. Two poor campsites are located at the head of the lake, which has no beach of significance. The rockbound shore is inaccessible on the west because a cliff comes down into the water, creating a barrier, but one can clamber over the big sandstone boulders on the east side. The stream that flows into Scout Lake at the upper end and out the lower is designated as One Too Many Creek on recent maps, but this is not in accord with older maps, which denote it as a branch of Crazy Creek.