I did a daybreak hike to Beaver and Lodge Lakes at Exit 52 off I-90, knowing that I had to be at Exit 54 at 10 a.m. to meet some others for a Tunnel hike with the Mountaineers. It was a gorgeous morning with snow dusting the higher peaks around me. I was the only one on the trail, not counting service vehicles doing work around the ski slopes. The brush and ferns on the south side are turning yellow and orange and as I passed behind the ski area the I-90 traffic disappeared, leaving me with birds and silence.
For as many people as must travel through the area on the PCT, I was surprised at how muddy the trail was. It's clearly a well-maintained trail with at least 5 wooden bridges; perhaps not as much attention is spent on maintaining it in shoulder season because of the ski area blocking winter traffic behind. Lots of mushrooms and some cool views of peaks at Beaver Lake.
I actually overshot the Lodge Lake Trail and cued in when I saw the "Snoqualmie Summit 2.5 miles" sign. I-90 traffic sounds increased and I realized I must have missed the turn, so I turned back just shy of my turn-around time and had a few minutes to spare. Then I figured out what happened: I'd been looking at a few photos trying to identify some cool mushrooms on my phone and walked right by the turn. I didn't see any "Lodge Lake" sign but I did find the obvious turn on my way back. Unfortunately, the path to the lake is a muddy mire of muck; I grabbed a few photos and hot-footed back to Beaver Lake for better photo opportunities.
Round trip my jaunt was about 5.3 miles, 1110' gain and 2 hours 18 minutes round trip. I had just enough time to get to Exit 54 for a 10 a.m. start of the next hike though the Tunnel. Kind of a cool way to get both the unique tunnel experience and the wonderful solitude and beauty of the fall morning.
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