Mount Hood from the South-western side, while climbing to peak of Mount Tom.
Mount Hood from and on Mirror Lake.
There are some hikes, actually plenty, where a person puts in much effort and the visual rewards are less
than expected. It is not often though that for a little or a reasonable amount of energy expended, one
sees what we witnessed. In front of us stood Mount Hood, a splendid sight by any standard. Turning north,
we saw the attractive Mount Adams, then Mount Rainier in Washington followed by Mount St. Helens. We're not
finished yet. To the south, standing on its own was Mount Jefferson. That's five volcanoes within sight.
Repetitious we admit, and perhaps unnecessary, as we don't doubt anyone's ability to count. Of course, the
reflection of the Hood off Mirror Lake was not unpleasant either.
Any lazy Tom, Dick or Harry could position himself in such away that by rotating the head, all peaks could be
seen without a change of stance. We suggest consulting a chiropractor first.
Views from Mount Tom are unique. One can observe five major volcanoes; it doesn't seem possible.
Jenni dwarfs the Hood. A figurative upside-down mountain in a literal upside-down world.
We left The Dalles, a town in Oregon, heading for Rhododendron. Hike-about is proving quite educational as
we can now spell the town's name, usually within three tries. We were also happy to have a thirty degrees
change in temperature upon arriving in the Hood forests. Yesterday, it was the Mount Hood hike that was
breathtaking. Today, we combined a travel day with a 6.5 mile hike through a forest to Mirror Lake.
Thereafter, we hiked up to the peak of Tom, the brother of Dick and Harry. It's a fact. It turns out that
Dick and Harry are closed for the season. What to make of that? We get these surprises often. Because of
the mating season, no one is allowed on the two peaks. We really were puzzled. We had no idea that this
phenomenon occurred. Two male mountains. Fortunately, our editor anticipating we would have some difficulty
with the concept, explained that birds are mating, hence, the need for privacy. It all made sense although
we can't remember being afforded such privacy when we were um...the birds do it, the bees do it...
The four volcanoes, excluding Mount Hood, viewed from Mount Tom:
Mt. Adams
Mt. St Helens
Mt. Jefferson
Mt. Rainier
A different view of Mount Hood on its own.
Another highlight for us was meeting Russ at the lake. He volunteered to take a picture of us and
then one thing led to another and we spoke for half-an-hour. We think he'll commence his own hike-about
when he can get his children through college or perhaps, sell them. He's from Chicago and left us with a
very favorable impression. Things continued along that vein. Upon arriving at the peak, we met three charming
women, who definitely are ladies. We spent time discussing various topics with them. Days like that provide
uplifting experiences. Had we spent any more time conversing, our tongues would have been more tired than
our legs. Thank you Gill, Susanne and Lois.
The boss stands before the 'hood.
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