The two RV Gypsies (plus one) at Mount Hood
July 26, 2013

Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about 50 miles east-southeast of Portland. It is one of the loftiest mountains in the nation based on its prominence, and a prominent landmark visible up to 100 miles away. About 10,000 people attempt to climb Mount Hood each year.

The height assigned to Mount Hood's snow-covered peak has varied over its history. Modern sources point to three different heights: 11,249 feet, a 1991 measurement by the U.S. National Geodetic Survey (NGS), 11,240 feet based on a 1993 scientific expedition, and 11,239 feet of slightly older origin.

The peak is home to 12 named glaciers and snowfields. Mount Hood is considered the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt, though based on its history, an explosive eruption is unlikely. Still, the odds of an eruption in the next 30 years are estimated at between 3 and 7?percent, so the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) characterizes it as "potentially active", but the mountain is informally considered dormant.

Timberline Lodge is a National Historic Landmark located on the southern flank of Mount Hood just below Palmer Glacier.

The mountain has six ski areas: Timberline, Mount Hood Meadows, Ski Bowl, Cooper Spur, Snow Bunny, and Summit. They total over 4,600 acres (7.2 square miles) of skiable terrain; Timberline offers the only year-round lift-served skiing in North America.

Mount Hood is within the Mount Hood National Forest, which comprises 1,067,043 acres Bad rounding he of land, including four designated wilderness areas that total 314,078 acres (490.747 square miles) and more than 1,200 miles of hiking trails.

Karen, Lee, and Karen's sister Ilse Blahak, entered Timberline Lodge and they took a picture of Mount Saint Helens from the back porch of the lodge. Photos of Mount Saint Helens can be reached from the link at the bottom of this page.

Below: The lounge area inside the Timberline Lodge was very nice and had a sign with lots of great information on it.

Below: Karen Duquette and her sister Ilse Blahak ready to take a short walk up a steep hill to get a bit closer to Mount Hood.

Below: A panorama of Mount Hood.

Below: A big machine bringing a snowboard platform down the hill in the snow. There were a few people on Mount Hood snowboarding even though it did not appear to have a lot of snow at this time.

Below: Lee Duquette decided to play in the snow. Karen Duquette photographed him just as a snowball left his hand. Look closely to see the snowball in the air.

Below: The snowball is now in the air just to the side of Lee's right arm. As the snowball came towards Karen, she jumped because Lee had perfect aim and the snowball would have hit her if she had not jumped out of the way.

Below: Then the two RV Gypsies continued on up the trail to get a bit closer to Mount Hood.

Below: Beautiful flowers and naked white trees along the path.

Below: Panorama looking back at the Timberline Lodge and Mount Saint Helens which could just barely be seen in the far distance.

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