The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-04-11
MT. HOOD AT SUNSET
BEAUTIFUL PICTURE

BY A. A. DUCHANP IN OREGON JOURNAL
Mount Hood, nearest of the five
snowcapped mountains visible from
Portland, is by far the most imposing
and is best known to tourists. There
are times when Mount Hood appears to
be but a short distance away. due to
clear and dry atmospheric conditions.
At those favored times, when it is
lighted by the direct rays of the after
noon sun, it is spectacle indeed truly
magnificent, surpassed by no other
scene upon the American continent.
The commercial value of the extra
ordinary view surrounding the city of
Portland, is not generally appreciated.
| Eminent travellers who have visited the
wonders of the world, pronounce the
view from Council Crest one of the
grandest anywhere.
have been questioned by many re-
garding the accessibility Of scaling
Mount Hood. For the benefit of those
interested in such recreation, | will
briefly state personal experience.
Having desired for some time to
climb to the summit of Mount Hood,
we left Portland one morning in the
early part of July, going by rail to
! Hood River, where we left at | O'Clock
| by automobile over the 25 mile road to
/ Cloud Cap Inn. The road traverses
/ the beautiful Hood River Valley, fam
Gus the world over for It's fine apples,
and twice crosses Hood River, which
! takes its source from the Eliot glacier.
! We shortly arrived at the quaint
] fp4 ,.fl ,h .,E
/ great logs and is chained and bolted
to the rocks, because of the force of
the wind which blows at that altitude
during winter. Here we ascended to
/ the observatory and viewed a marvel
Gus sunset and magnificent panorama
spreading like a great map in all direc-
tions, and after an evening supper
before a huge fireplace, we turned in.
! AT q. m. we We're awakened by the
guide, who was anxious to make an
early start, as appearance seemed to
be favorable for successful ascent.
| Owing to the strenuous exercise, it is
necessary to take bat little clothing.
Strong, waterproof, leather boots, with
spiked soes, are essential to keep from
slipping on the icy surface, while a
! wal III GNGuANi rLtNlu AG NhItlON lOI
protection against the cold when rest
ing. Having blackened our faces and
hands to avoid blistering, and wearing
amber glasses for protection of our
eyes, we made a start at 80, arriving
at Cooper's spur one hour later. From
this point great sight is unfolded to
view in all directions, the elevation
being about 5000 feet above sea level.
/ Cooper spur is easily reached and
should be accessible to all those who
are not desirous or are unable to ascend
the summit. Tarrying at this point
for few minutes, we pushed on, tra-
versing Eliot glacier, a receding glacier
of great magnitude, where wonderful
ice formations aud crevasses are to be
seen. Lunch rock was reached at IL
O'Clock, and the summit at l2:45.
Deep but compact snow was encoun-
tered for 1000 feet before reaching the
lsummit.
am not equal to the task of de-
lscrbmg the view from the summit of
Mount Hood. Owing to the prevailing
westerly winds, the atmosphere was
Remarkably clear. Mount Shasta, 400
miles away in northern California,
could be seen plainly, as well as the
other mountain peaks intervening.
Mount Baker, about an equal distance