Date/Time
Date(s) - 19/08/2017
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location
Iron Horse State Park, Hyak WA
Categories No Categories
The Pacific Northwest is THE destination for geocachers on the third weekend of August – International Geocaching Weekend – and WSGA hopes you will join us for our 8th annual Going APE mega-event.
Be aware of traffic construction! Check conditions at wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i90/whatshappening.
The APE is found in the rugged, snow-capped Cascade Mountains, just a short drive from Seattle, where you can walk through the spooky 2-mile-long Tunnel of Light, find one of the oldest caches in Washington, and visit the the last remaining APE cache in North America. Plus, we hear that Sasquatch and Fen Dweller have been sighted in the area – so watch out!
Time & place
10:00 am – 2:00 pm on Saturday, August 19, at the Hyak trailhead in Iron Horse State Park at Snoqualmie Pass. We’ll be in the field at the far end of the parking lot. The park and tunnel are open dawn till dusk, so you can hang out all day if you like. Event map.
We’re a low-key mega: no formal activities, no group photo, and no vendors. This is all about a fun day in the beautiful Cascade Mountains with good friends, a spooky tunnel, and some geocaching.
Activities
- Attend this event, and you’ll receive the Mega event icon plus a Souvenir created specifically for this event.
- Socialize and sign the logboard (look for Apezilla wearing it). To help us maintain mega-event status, be sure everyone with a caching name signs the physical log. If you sign a group name, indicate the number in your party in your online Attended log.
- Hike or bike through the Snoqualmie Tunnel. This 100-year-old railroad tunnel is 2.3 miles long, pitch dark, and a chilly 50F degrees. You’ll feel the cold breeze before you even see the tunnel entrance, and occasional water drips add to the spookiness. More about the tunnel.
- Find Bloody Fingers, Dirty Diapers inside the tunnel. Watch out for Fen Dweller!
- Find Iron Horse (GC79), 2nd-oldest active cache in Washington, outside the west entrance to the tunnel.
- Find Mission 9: Tunnel of Light, the APE cache itself. This restored cache counts for the APE segment of the Center of the Triad Challenge.
- We again plan on having Lab Caches available for the event. More details will follow as we finalize them. Ape Adventures caches will be active for the weekend.
- Stroll or roll the Iron Horse Trail to enjoy the mountain scenery and find other caches. You can continue west beyond the APE cache, or go south from Hyak around Lake Keechelus.
- Trade your trackables at the Travel Bug Depot (at the Welcome table).
- Get your exclusive APE event coin and shirt, as well as our Washington State geocoins.
Parking & permits
Please route to the posted event coordinates, and our parking staff will direct you to appropriate parking. We have one overflow lot in addition to parking at the main Hyak venue; the overflow lot is a short 5-minute walk from the event site. Parking and Event map
Hyak parking requires a Discover Pass (day or annual); our parking attendants will sell you a $10 day pass if you don’t have one, or you can buy one at the on-site kiosk.
The nearby Forest Service lot requires a Northwest Forest Pass (day or annual); we will have passes for sale at this lot and our parking attendants will sell you a $5 day pass if you don’t have one.
Hiking
The hike from Hyak to the APE cache is 3 miles (6 miles round trip, including two trips through the tunnel). The Iron Horse Trail is a broad, flat, packed-gravel trail with little elevation change. It’s an easy hike.
If you would like to through-hike, you could leave a car at Annette Lake trailhead (exit 47 off I-90, requires a Northwest Forest Pass to park). The hike is about 5.5 miles, and downhill all the way. The final mile descends 700 feet on the Annette Lake Trail, a typical narrow, uneven forest trail with some roots and rocks to negotiate, a bridge crossing over a waterfall area, and a few caches.
Biking
Bicycles are allowed on the Iron Horse Trail and in the tunnel, so feel free to bring yours. (We don’t recommend road tires due to the rockiness of some sections.) If you bike, be sure you have a headlamp and watch for pedestrians, especially in the tunnel. Unfortunately, there are no bike rental places near Hyak, so that’s not an option.
If you would like to through-bike, you have several options. One option is to leave a car at Annette Lake; bikes are allowed on the lower portion of the Annette Lake Trail. The most popular option however, is to bicycle 23+ miles down the Iron Horse from Hyak to the Rattlesnake Lake trailhead (exit 32 off I-90), picking up caches along the way.
Time required
Please plan a half day for this event (or longer, depending on your caching plans). It takes 30-45 minutes each way to drive Seattle to Hyak, and round-trip distance to the APE cache is 6 miles.
Refreshments
If you hike/bike, you should bring sips and snacks. We’ll also have a lemonade stand (aka refreshments table) with water and lemonade. There are picnic tables at both ends of the tunnel, so you can relax and enjoy the scenery while you have lunch.
What to wear
You’re hiking 6 miles, so dress accordingly, including footwear. Be sure to check the Weather for Snoqualmie Pass – it could be a cool day or a scorcher, sunny or rainy. The tunnel is quite chilly (50F), so you may want long sleeves or a jacket. Your clothes might get dirty, as the ceiling drips muddy water in places (hats are recommended), and the trail may be wet.
What to bring
You’ll need a flashlight or headlamp for the tunnel, plus a day pack with hiking essentials for your party. Depending on your plans, this may include food, water, camera, hat, bug spray, suntan lotion, first aid, camera, emergency whistle, sunglasses, extra batteries, trekking poles, maps, ibuprofen, camera… Also bring your Discover/NWF parking permit or cash to buy one.
First aid
We will have first aid available at the first aid tent, so please go there if you need help. The event monitors at each end of the Snoqualmie Tunnel will also have first-aid kits.
