Biking the Snoqualmie Tunnel

We parked on the Stampede Pass Road at ten o’clock to begin our trip.  We head west on the Iron Horse Trail, rolling along.  We’re glad it is morning because it is already hot.  After the first mile or two, it is all cherry and before long, we see Keechelus Lake off to our right between us and the interstate.  It is such a long, long lake.  We keep pedalling and pedalling and it is still there.  We pass the Roaring Creek Camp and then later the Cold Creek Camp and the lake is still there. 

 Finally, after about eight miles, we arrive at the Hyak trailhead and then we feel the cold air coming out of the tunnel before we even see it.  We stop to get out our puny flashlights, and put our outer shirts on as we stare at the black gaping hole that is the Snoqualmie Tunnel.  The darkness is shocking as we enter.  Because my vision is so damped down, my hearing seems more acute as I hear the water dripping off the walls and ceiling of the tunnel, sometimes plopping on my head.  I think I see a tiny headlight of someone coming in the distance, but this turns out to be the miniscule “light at the end of the tunnel” some 2.3 miles away.   We keep trudging along, first just walking our bikes, then getting on them once our eyes have adjusted to the blackness.  The dank smell adds to the complete creepiness of being deep underground, inside this tunnel, with a huge mountain on top of us.  The light keeps getting bigger, of course, as we make our way to the other side, and come out feeling great.  I look at the inscription above the tunnel and see the dates: 1912-1914.  Wow, a hundred years old.  After a lunch break, we bike a little further down the trail to the Annette Lake trailhead, then turn around and bike back through the tunnel in the other direction. 

 It is still scary the second time around, but a little less so.  Then, back to Stampede Pass Road and the car.  Overall mileage about 25 miles round trip.  Great outing, back at the car by three o'clock.