Mount Hood

February 2001

At 11,235 feet, Mount Hood is the tallest mountain in Oregon, and the fourth tallest in the Cascade Range, which runs from British Columbia to Northern California.  It is considered a dormant volcano, with the most recent eruption (a minor one) in 1907.  Scientists believe there could be a significant eruption in the next 75 years.  There are eleven glaciers on the peak, and Timberline Lodge Ski Area offers the only year-round ski season in North America, closing only for two weeks in late September.  Reportedly it is the second-most climbed mountain in the world, after Mount Fuji in Japan.

The first white explorers saw Mount Hood in 1792, when British Navy Lieutenant William Broughton and his crew were on the Columbia River near present-day Portland.  Broughton named the mountain for a notable admiral named Samuel Hood.  The local native tribes called the mountain Wy'East.

June 2003

My parents came out to visit for a couple weeks in June, and we drove up to Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood.  It was a sunny day with not too much haze, and besides looking up at the summit of Mount Hood, we could also see Mount Jefferson to the south.

Timberline Lodge

Timberline Lodge was completed in 1938 by the WPA, dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt in late 1937.  The four-story rustic structure is over 12,000 square feet, and sits on the south face of Mount Hood at around 6000 feet above sea level.  It services skiers heading down the slopes and climbers heading up to the peak.  The exterior was featured in the opening scene of The Shining, and a handful of other films were partially shot at or near the lodge.

Later we stopped in the eastern foothills of Mount Hood and took a short walk in the woods.  Mom was fascinated by these tiny cones.