It will snow tonight over the roof of Timberline Lodge. The mountain behind it, Mt Hood, surrounds and cradles the lodge. If you have been there or seen a picture, you know that the outline of the lodge mimics the mountain. You may notice that the lodge is nestled in evergreens but directly above there are no longer any trees. This is the timber line. The day we visited Timberline Lodge and stayed until dinner there was no snow. A chilled wind, however, swept down and took away my breath on the incline up to the door of the lodge. It was my first taste of the winter that will soon descend on my own home in Santa Fe. But for this afternoon in September, we surrounded ourselves within Timberline Lodge by large and lit fireplaces.
If you visit Timberline Lodge, you will find a complete haven after days of skiing, snowboarkding, cross country skiing and hiking on winter slopes. There is a bike park, a year round swimming pool and hot tub. Even in summer, in any season, it is open and still feels like a place of refuge. http://www.timberlinelodge.com/
The Head House
The lodge is rustic, true to the period it was built. It is characterized by local natural materials and a design that blends into the landscape. The head house, designed in a hexagon, is in the center of the lodge, shown here with its 800,000 pound great stone chimney. It opens to two uneven wings with guest rooms, dining rooms, event rooms, etc…. We passed a bride in her white dress in the halls.
The words “Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood National Forest, dedicated September 28, 1937, by the President of the United States, as a monument to the skill and faithful performance of workers on the rolls of the Workers Progress Administration” are embedded in the stone ledge directly above the main entrance of the lodge.
It makes it all the more a great visit to realize that during the Great Depression between 1927 to 1937, the W.P.A. program aimed to employ and train as many people as possible. Unskilled workers worked, learned, prepared for a better life, with skilled artists and craftspeople who taught them traditional skills in the arts, crafts and construction trades Timberline Lodge is the result of their work.
All of the furniture at Timberline Lodge was handmade of metal and local wood. The upholstery and curtain fabric was woven by W.P.A. workers.
We had dinner, with all the flavors of the Pacific Northwest, on the upper level restaurant overlooking and surrounding the lower level of the head house. There is also a bar looking out at Mt. Hood. Paintings are found throughout the lodge, some by unknown artists at the time, who later became famous for their work.
Writer's Nook, Carved Cedar, Mosaics
When we left Timberline Lodge the half light was descending. In an hour and a half, we were back home in Portland, on the west side of the Willamette river. Maybe next time we’ll make the trip by way of Hood River, circling the mountain and all the beauty that offers. It is so worth it and I am so looking forward to going to Timberline Lodge again.
NOTE: Visiting Portland with no idea how to get to Timberline Lodge? Here are some options: http://shredhood.org/resources/transit-options/53-no-car-you-can-still-get-up-to-mount-hood
