Hood Life

From the Editor

You've really gotta go see the map.

Not right away, but after you've done some exploring—a weekend camping and paddling at Lost Lake, a hike to Punchbowl Falls, some climbing at Cascade Boulders and maybe a drive across the Lolo Pass.

Once you've spent some time around that beautifully symmetrical peak looming on Portland's skyline, climb the stairs at the Mount Hood Cultural Center and Museum, and drink it all in. That spectacular relief map, over 8 feet wide and donated by Timberline Lodge in 2001, gives you a bird's-eye view of the area in this guide. Even if you're well-acquainted with the land it covers, there's something you'll notice and want to explore later.

The more you poke around the roads and trails on Mount Hood, the more you realize just how special this land is. Tucked into the little valleys cut from the glacier-fed creeks that wind their way down to the rivers where you can paddle or raft, we have lush green mazes of fern and moss capped by giant whitebark pines that have been standing since the time of Columbus.

And it's more than nature. There are folks who'll say you're not really an Oregonian until you've had a doughnut from Joe's and a drink on the bar bench at Charlie's. And if you haven't soaked up the minerals at the century-old

spa in the Gorge or the suds at Oregon's best Belgian-style brewery, you're cheating yourself out of the pleasures of this place.

So get out there—it's summer, the sun is shining, and the rivers are running warm. And come winter, well, grab some snowshoes and eye a trail on that spectacular model.

Willamette Week