The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1905-08-10
CLIMBING MOUNT HOOD.
PORTLAND, ORE. July 22-0|

PORTLAND, ORE, JULY 22-O5
Mr.. Editor: Thinking it ma.
interest our mutual friends, thu
readers of this ''rag of freedom
venture to send you a shor
account of a trip to summit o
Mount Hood. A friend from
Grand Forks, visiting here witt
his wife, invited me to 60, alonl
and we started one fine morninI
reaching Hood River shortl.
! before noon. This is now
town of 1900. Seven years ag
it was a little hamlet of abou
/ 100 souls. This is where you
best strawberries come from
i We found fruit very scarce, con
trary to expectations. At about
l p. M. we-got into the stage
drawn by Four horses, with
other travellers, whom we found
to be very agreeable companions
which made the "a mile ride in
the heat and dust less tiresome
The Hood River Valley is very
dry and depends on irrigation.
In some places the fumes are
built on trestle work across
small valleys so the water runs
high over your head. Some of
the irrigation is accomplished
by means of troughs running
through the field about knee
high out of which the water is
ciphoned into the burrows. I'm
proved land several miles from
town is held as high as $500 per
acre. In the south end of the
valley there is much unimproved
land and as we come into the
timber, the heat moderates
some. Half way is a relay sta
ton where the tired horses are
relieved by fresh ones, but it is
after 9 p. m. by the time we
reach Cloud Caps Inn. This is
a neat little establishment near
the tree line about 1000 feet
above sea level. The log build
ing is bound to the rocks by
means of heavy steel cables to
keep it from being blown away
by terrific spring and fall winds.
The glorious sunrise seen from
here is enough to repay one for
the exhausting stage ride. 1t
is a subject for a poet or a paint
er, neither one of whom could
do it justice. The faint light
dimly revealing the white peaks,
some of them over a hundred
miles away, then the rosy glow
followed by the rays of the sun
gradually lighting up the grand
panorama, the freshness of the
light, exhilarating mountain air
all combine to thrill the specta-
tor with wonder and reverence.
No wonder that there have been
sun worshipers and that the Mo-
hammedans turn toward the
east when engaged in their morn
ing devotions. Too many of us.
miss the inspiring sunrise and
take instead a few hours close to
midnight in stuffy rooms by the
side Of smoky lamp or some
other cheap imitation of the orb
of day. 1t is not necessary to
be up on a high mountain to see
a fine sunrise. North Dakota
has some wonderful things in
that line herself. Have you seen
and admired them? But we
must hurry and prepare for the
climb 1t is mostly white folks
who come to the Cloud Cap Inn
but when they start for the sum.
nit they are all colored people,
When we saw our guide looking
like an Ethiopian we were mysti=
fed and when we were told to do
likewise We considered it a kind
of q fool'joke. But we obedient-
ly smeared our faces all over
with vaseline and then put on
all the powdered char coal that;
would stick. Besides the pro-
lection this affords against the
glare of the sun and the dazzling
snow it also creates much fun.
It is necessary to wear goggles
and hobnailed shoes, and ladies'