, 1874-09-07
Tho Nltnl NIT OF Mount Hood.

Tho Portland {Osegon) Bs.letin, Of the 11th
lnst, has o graphic description Of 4 Journey
natlo by n party OF 0rogoniaila to tho summit of
Mount Hood Tho struggle to rcach tho sum
NIT aud tie sceno from tho top Of tliH old vol
cano il thus described:
"1!nasino our disappointment whom, nt tho
appointed hour for our breakfast, NO arose from
our hard beds md found TINT tbs uoiuture IN tbo
atmosphere inlicalod rain, storm, etc. We woro
not tho ioast mtstakon in our con1ccturos,
sfncn we wore scarcely engaged in Shipping our
colrco whon tho huge drops Of min foil, and, rs
1t Terp, cast gloom ovot tue wllolo scenc,
desires whom about TO ascontl ono OF tue highest
peaks IN tho Cascade Ranga. After waiting
aeyeral hourB, surrounding our campfire iu tho
effort 10 koep partially dry. wo finally discoy-
erod sigma Of clear weather, and at ~ O'clock
tho last shower passed. over 1la. At fifteen n,ln-
utes past O'clock wo Hartod ont for tho highest
rock to bo found on that venerable old piio of
Enow and rock, tho admiration OF I'll visitors
Of thia Northwestern cnast. We found our
work quito pleasas,t for tho frst milo or two,
somewhat soft, and consequently rendered
our footl,oid easy. We soon found the air
grow lighter, which rendered It somewhat diff
nculs for some OF our party to broatho- Hav-
purity found it Impossible to 20 further. mud,
having viewed the esornal hoights, ho bado tho
rest goodbye and returned to camp. From
this point upward our progress waa Blow,
hcing moro steep and tho SNOW more or,,sted.
at every turn our gazo was onc OF admiration
mud beauty. AH wn looked to tho cast, tho whole
OF Eastern Oregon lay mapped out before us.
Mount Jefferson appeared in tho distance With
it's garb Of white standing out in bold roltof
againss the felda OF dark green Of the fir and
tlmo boforos woro above uB now began to ap-
pear below l1s, and as wo continued our upward
journey ne soon reasized that wo wcro indeod
above tho clouds. Tho scono waa indoscribably
fentlery-!ike clouds seemed to be rolled npon
each other, with an occasional roll or como
pointing to tho heavens, and thus tho sccne
varied until words failed to describe it. =.
at this point tho historiographor closed his d.
ary. No pencil, he admits s,-certa,nly mono Of
deur Of tho Bccno That from this stage onward
met tho gazo Of tho mountalDeers. Below thcul
tho clouds stretched out like MI unknown aud
beautiful land; above them tho peak ia solitary
como dangerous enough for q resort to . guild
lng-ropo, ana tho party won't up in Alpine
fashion. They reached the cEAtor, Rftes coasid-
orablo oxorton, and gnzoa into it aud across it;
estimated iss diameter at abon. 100 foot. Sui
phusic funes .wero unco.nfostably petcep.ible,
and several timea the party saw Skinner
which satiafcd them That tho volcanic
signs OF tho mountain hayo not eutlrely
died out. Tho party wendA thstr way
around J., the crater, and IN dug time
tNutltA h91oulelAfed af f&et3 VI tla aAll<s 1L1Ia
they found. III g croyice, paper containing the
words, "Wo reached this summit at uoon on tho
17th OF August. 1865, and with several names
subscribed; They remained on the top about
half an hour, unfurlod the Stars and Stripes from
the lof.iest peak, and alt in tin case, AZ mo-
nento Of thoir visit, their names and copies Of
tho HuNctin Of Aug. l, a,,l other papers. As
they wo1o descending they saw tic thandor-
storm Which that afternoon "Wednesday. Aug. s.
visited the Willamette valloy, but experienced
NINA ef tH affacks fjfhn A1nntacle HNA etark1inr
In it's grandeur and sublimity. Tho atorn-cloud
waa, in aeuse. at their foot and they Baw tho
forkcd lightning dnrt hither and yon and hoard
tho terrible roll md crush OF the thunder.