Iron Horse Trail Ride Report (Almost)

On July 5, 2011, the Snoqualmie Tunnel was re-opened after completion of a significant repair project. This tunnel is part of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in Iron Horse State Park just east of Seattle, WA. It was closed in 2009 (actually didn't reopen after the '08-'09 winter closure) due to safety concerns (falling rocks and an underground RIVER flowing through it). The tunnel was fenced off with big warning signs advising you not to enter...

Snoqualmie Tunnel east entrance, Snoqualmie Pass, WA, as it looked in 2009-2011 during the safety closure. 

This tunnel has been on my "bucket ride" list ever since I heard of it when I first moved back to WA in 2001. I never made it up there until they closed it. Then the economic downturn and state budget cuts made it seem like they would never get it fixed. I heard about the opening several days after it happened (I was out of town on vacation at the time) and was pleasantly surprised.

Trail surface: gravel, packed gravel, and packed dirt.

Bike recommendations: anything with tires wider than 28mm (i.e. don't ride on a road bike with skinny tires). Cyclocross bikes should be fine. The last time I rode I was on a bike with 26" x 1.7" road tires and they worked great.

The WA State Park Service has contracted with a private company to provide a shuttle from the trailhead, near Cedar Falls and Rattlesnake Lake, all the way up to the summit at Hyak. This allows you to park your car and, for somewhere around $20, you and your bike can be shuttled up to the top and ride the ~23 miles downhill back to your vehicle. Total time, including shuttle ride, should be in the neighborhood of 3 hours.

I fully intended to ride through the tunnel with 2 of my kids (the 2 that can ride) leaving the other home with Mom but when Saturday arrived Mom was sick in bed. Change of plans! Our ride down the trail turned into a hike through the tunnel with some geocaching thrown in for good measure.

We started out playing the compass game...

Playing the compass game at Snoqualmie Pass, WA

To play the compass game you simply find an object in the distance, using your compass to get the magnetic bearing. Then you have someone else stand in the exact same spot (very important!) and try to determine which object you were pointing at using only the compass bearing. My kids love to try to stump Dad but I always get it. }B^)

We ate some lunch and read the information signs at the Hyak parking lot along the trail.

Informational board at the Hyak parking lot, Iron Horse State Park, WA

And then we hiked the very short distance (less than 1/3 of a mile) to the tunnel entrance. This is the east entrance of the Snoqualmie Tunnel.

East entrance of the Snoqualmie Tunnel, Iron Horse State Park, WA

Inside the tunnel we hiked for about half a mile before we turned back. My boys were not in the mood to hike the nearly 2.5 miles to the west entrance on the other side of Mt. Catherine. So we hiked in a bit, found a geocache, and called it a day.

Looking out toward the east entrance, Snoqualmie Tunnel, Iron Horse State Park, WA

So the tunnel is open ready for riders. The trail in the tunnel was very smooth but a bit moist. There are a few dripping leaks from the roof (expected in a 100+ year old tunnel) but the eastern 1/3 of the tunnel is virtually brand new trail surface and walls/ceiling. I'll be back again this summer with my boys to ride the tunnel and trail again.

Our next stop was a great little lake called "Gold Creek Pond", a reclaimed gravel pit right across the freeway from Hyak on I-90. This is a very picturesque lake with picnic tables, a paved trail around the perimeter, and great views of the mountains. We intended to ride our bikes on the perimeter trail but USFS rules stated "no bikes" so we ended up walking.

Gold Creek Pond near Snoqualmie Pass, WA

If you are looking for a quick picnic at Snoqualmie Pass this is a great place. The trail was flat and easy, the picnic tables are 100 yards from the parking lot, and there weren't many people around.

To make up for the fact that we didn't get to ride in the tunnel or around the pond our next and final stop was the Marymoor Velodrome, Marymoor Park in Redmond, WA. This is one of my boys' favorite places to ride, and for good reason-

Marymoor Velodrome, Marymoor Park, Redmond, WA

The track itself is open to the public (when not in use for classes or races). The surface is textured concrete with banked turns and a 400m circumference. This is one of the few outdoor bike tracks in the western US and it is just a few miles from my house! I highly recommend checking it out and taking a few laps. 

As I was playing around on the track with my oldest son I broke the frame on one of my favorite bikes, my nearly 18 year old Schwinn High Plains. After nearly 10,000 miles it finally gave out under my weight. I can generate a lot of torque and have replaced many parts on this bike over the years. It's like losing an old friend. Yes, I almost cried.

Broken rear dropout, drive side on the rear wheel of my 1993 Schwinn High Plains after nearly 10,000 miles. Goodbye old friend! 

...but then I remembered something very important: NOW I CAN GO BIKE SHOPPING! In the past 3 years this bike has served as my year-round commuter bike and has seen everything from thunderstorms, sleet, and hail (which really hurts your face). Now I need another bike that can fill this void.

Upcoming posts: shopping updates!

 

 

Why do I Tri?

Every year I get the same questions. It starts out with "what are you doing this summer?" and moves on quickly into "You are doing a triathlon? Have you lost your mind?"

I got serious about my weight issues back in '05 when my weight peaked at 315 and my cholesterol hit 230. I completed a weight management and lifestyle changing program called the 20/20 Lifestyles program at the Pro Club in Bellevue, WA. It had a profound effect on my life helping me to get back into an active lifestyle. Since then I am down 40 pounds and looking to shed another 40.

In 2006, while hiking in the North Cascades National Park, I got to talking with a friend about biking to work and my newfound interest in running. He went on and on about how biking to work had changed the way he exercises. The highlight of his year was his first Triathlon, a sprint distance. During that week of hiking I asked all sorts of questions and, by the time we came home, I was sold.

The first time I told my boss that I wanted to do a Triathlon his first words were, "Are you kidding? You aren't exactly the body type of a triathlete." ...and he was/is right. I am very squarely in the "Clydesdale" race division. While most triathletes look like Macca or Chrissie Wellington, I am built more like Dick Butkus. In high school I played offensive and defensive lineman on the football team. I was in track and field but as a thrower in the discus and shotput.

Side note: we had a "exhibition event" every so often called the "throwers mile relay". I'll have to write that one up one of these days.

My first tri was quite the experience. My only goals were to finish and not die. Seriously. OK, finishing under 2 hours was also on my list but that was more of a wish than a goal.

So why do I do it? What compells me to jump into frigid water, swim 1/4 to 1 mile, bike 15-24 miles, then run 5-10K? Then, a couple of months later, to do it again? And, I PAY to be able to do this? Race fees usually run $60-80 each so this is not always a trivial task.

It's a rush, that why. There is nothing better than the feeling you get at the end of a race. The endorphin high is amazing but it doesn't beat the feeling of accomplishment you get from finishing an ordeal like that. What makes it better? Seeing my family at the finish cheering me on!Finish line, 2009 Issaquah Triathlon

My main reason for competing in triathlons is not actually the race itself, it is the journey. I have no illusions of winning the race or even placing in my age group. I do it as a goal to keep myself exercising.

One of the things I learned in my time with my personal trainer was that strength training wasn't keeping my weight off. I needed to train more like an endurance athlete which has ended up being much easier to maintain. In the last 4 years of training it has worked a little too well. My weight has been virtually flat for the past 2 years, although my body fat has fluctuated up and down (hopefully more toward the down side). My blood pressure and cholesterol are under control and my energy level and attitude have never been better.

Triathlons are a guage of my fitness level at the time and a goal to shoot for (very important in long-term fitness planning). In order to accomplish this goal, I also -

Should you do a triathlon? Only you can answer that question. I'll write later about my experience going from couch potato to triathlete.