2
THE MORNING OltEGONIAX, MONDAY,' JANUAlcY 2. 1022
MOUNT HOOD LOOP ROAD GIVES
I Delights of Majestic Snow-Capped Peak Soon to Be Made Easily Accessible Construction Work Progresses Well During 1921 Season Great Future Predicted for Resort Upon Road Completion.
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S A RESULT of definite BteDs
taken during the past year, Ore
gon la rapidly adding: another
great scenic highway to the fast
growing list of wonder roads which it
haa to offer the motorist. Building
of the Mount Hood loop road, a road
which has bee'n urged for some time
past but the construction of which
has been held up, was decided upon,
funds were appropriated, contracts let
and actual construction was well un
derway when winter closed in upon
the working crews.
Decision to build the Mount Hood
loop and letting of contracts for con
struction of portions of it marks the
greatest step of the past year In the
matter of new state highway con
struction. As a result of building the
road Mount Hood will be opened to
motor travel In a way hitherto Im
possible, handsome hotels and'reaorta
will spring up along the route, and
Oregoi.' great mountain will take the
position among the stellar icenio at
tractions of the country, which Is it
Just due.
The Mount Hood loop road, as now
definitely provided for, starts at Port
land, runs eastward to Gresham,
thence to Sandy and to the Columbia
national forest boundary at Zlg Zag.
From there it traverses the national
forest, passing around the south and
east sides of the mountain Into the
Hood river valfey to the north bound
ary of the national forest. Here it
meets the Hood River valley trunk
highway, joining the Columbia river
highway at Hood River. The high
way from Hood River to Portland
completes the loop.
Going, more into detail regarding
the route it may be said that from
Portland the highway goes eastward
to Gresham over either of two paved
roads, present roads being utilized
for this section, from Uresham to
the Multnomah county line there is
also an existing road, with macadam
surface, which will be made use of.
From the Multnomah county line to
the national forest boundary south
west of Mount Hood new location has
been made and grading is now well
under way. This section was con
tracted for late last spring, after
Multnomah and Clackamas counties
had promised to co-operate with the
state .and federal government 'n
building the road.
During the coming spring and sum
mer this section of grade should be
completed and the macadam surface
put down. This' will give a splendid
road as far as the. entrance to the
national forest at Zlg Zag, some 45
miles from Portland. At this point
the new road will Join the forest road
which the United States forest serv
ice has been constructing during the
past two years and which is now com
pleted as far as Government camp, on
the south side of the mountain.
From this point the road will pro
ceed eastward and northward around
the southeast side of the mountain,
through the Columbia national for
est, Joining the new Hood River val
ley road at the north entrance to the
national forest- This section of road,
which will be the last to be construct-
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ed, will open up a virgin land so far
as vehicle travel is concerned. , From
Government camp the road will run
eastward in the general direction,
followed by the old Barlow road,- the
road over which the early pioneers
fought their way into the Willamette
valley. At Summit the new road will
swing left from the Old Barlow road,
crossing the flanks of the momtain
through the White river paas, cross
ing that river and climbing the di
vide into the canyon of the east fork
of Hood river. This fork has its
source in the Newton Clark glacier at
the southeast of Mount Hood and
swings around the east side of the
mountain Into the main body of the
Hood river in the form of a semi-circle.
This watercourse is taken ad
vantage of In location of the Mount
Hood loop and the east side of the
canyon will be followed nearly to the
north entrance' to the. Columbia na
tional forest south of Parkdale. From
this point the Mount Hood loop road
will run directly northward through
the Hood river valley to the town of
Hood River, Joining the Columbia
river highway at that point.
Work on the road through the na
tional forest around the eouth and
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east sides of the mountain went ahead
rapidly last year, several miles of
permanent road being constructed
from the north entrance of the na
tional forest in the Hood river valley
southward, and bridges being com
pleted and additional work done on
the section from Zlg-Zag to Govern
ment camp on the southwest. Location
work and slashing was also done on
other sections.
Construction of the northern section
of the highway, that In the Hood river
valley from the town of Hood River
to the north entrance of the Colum
bia national forest, was assured last
spring when Hood River county voted
a bond issue of $330,000 for this road.
The state will co-operate in this work
in building a highway the cost of
which will probably exceed $500,000.
Contracts for grading and macadam
lzlng along this section were let last
summer and late fall and the work
is well under way. This section of the
road should be completed, or nearly
so, by the end of the working season
this year.
The new location in the Hood river
valley follows' the old east side road
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HOOD RIVER AMERICAN LEGION INAUGURATES ANNUAL MOUNTAIN CLIMB I
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First Summer Ascent of Famous Peak Proves So Successful Members Decide to Repeat Trip Every Year Plans Already Formulated for 1922, When Distinguished Guests Will Join in Vacation
i Outing Initial Venture Attracts Widespread Attention and Many Outsiders Wish to Take Advantage of Next Pilgrimage Governor Olcoit Enthusiast.
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SOME of the members of Hood River
post of the American Legion, last
summer in a modest way, launched
plans 'for a recreational reunion of
ex-service men in a forest-canopied
oamp near the timber line of the
north base of Mount Hood and gave
Impetus to a more ambitious BCheme
that bids fair to result in an annual
ascent of Oregon's most accessible
snow peak, an event, which. Is already
attracting attention far from the
bounds of the home state.
Already the legion post of the ap
ple valley has a well formulated plan
that will no doubt result ultimately
In ai annual participation in moun
tain sports that will be as well known
nationally as the Pendleton Round-up
of today. The scheme has proven
popular since, its Inception last July,
and local civic and commercial or
ganizations, as wiIl as county of
ficial have indicated a willingness
- ' 1
to aid the movement.
Briefly the Hood River legion post
proposes to establish a permanent
camp at some well-watered nook,
covered with handsome cone-bearing
evergreeije of the high altitude, hem
locks, species of fir and the scraggly
mountain pines. A choice to date has
not been made, but innumerable sites
are available. There in July and Au
gust wild' flowers In a score of va
rieties are blossoming at the edge of
snowbanks. There the mid-summer
heat of the hottest day Is tempered,
and the snow and lce-lnvigorated at
mosphere gives exhilaration to the
hiker or climber. There in the re
mote mountain fastness wee chip
munks, not yet wary of the approach
of man. chatter a welcome and beg
crumbs and peanuts. The legion men
may, if they like, choose a campsite
aloncside the new Mount Hood loop
highway, six miles of the grade of
which has already been cut through
the scenic district. Or if they prefer
a more secluded retreat they may
place their camp off the beaten path,
destined to be traveled by thousands
of motor tourists before the year 1025
shall have ended, a location In the
very heart of mountain fastness and
yet closely connected with the great
scenic boulevard by a trail, and- even
In time by a lateral automobile road.
The cost of equipping such a camp
will toe nominal. The "forestry service
will aid with road or trail construc
tion. The success of the initial venture
of last summer has stimulated the
members of the local post to action.
The members of the organization
have formally approved of the plan,
and a general' executive committee
with Kent Shoemaker -as chairman,
has been appointed to take perma
nent charge. Other members of the
committee include: Edward W. Van
Horn, post commander; George R.
Wilbur and R. L. Foust, all of whom
played an Important part in war days
and who are representative in Hood
River life.
The camping trip of last summer,
including but two days, was a hurried
affair. The recreationists assembled
here on the afternoon of July 30, a
Saturday, and were taken by automo
bile to a trail leading Into the camp.
The night was spent around a huge
bonfire, where stirring songs of war
days were sung, and where addresses
were delivered by such notables as
Governor Olcott, Secretary of State
Koxer and Adjutant-General White.
The members of the camp, who at
tempted the climb were out at sunup
Sunday morning and off on the long,
strenuous trip up the tortuous grade
of loose and rolling stones to the top
of Cooper's spur and from thence on
destined. If they reached the day's
goal and wrote their names in the
Mazama book, ever welcoming the
successful climber, on the summit, to
zig-zag across glistening snowfields
and step gingerly across yawning
crevasses of glaciers.
There was no time for leisure, be
cause scarcely had the climbers who
reached the top participated In the
thrill of a slide down a half-mile of
snow field and dusted the accumula
tion of flakes from their garments
when they were summoned to trek
down the trail to the awaiting
caravan of automobiles and hasten to
various homes in all parts of Onfbo,
Many were the improvisations of last
July, and the weary climbers were de
layed in getting back to Hood River,
as the base camp was more than 20
miles from the city. The remote road
into the camp was narrow and rough,
and the automobilists had difficult)
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In avoiding congestion and in getting
their machines turned around and
headed1 home.
It was after midnight when the last
of the legion camp party had reached
Hood River. Governor Olcott and
Secretary of State Kozer on arrival
here found It necessary to take an au
tomobile immediately for Portland, In
order to keep official engagements.
The latter on reaching the metropolis
Immediately caught a train out for
a Montana point to participate In the
annual convention of secretaries of
state from all the union. Both high
officials, however, left Hood River
expressing unbounded enthusiasm
over the legion's plans and declaring
that they would return to future re
unions. Both, before they left the
mountain environs, ordered from
Mark Weygandt. the veteran guide in
charge of the party, alpenstocks and
other moutaineer paraphernalia,
for a short distance, then drops off
Into the Hood river canyon, follow
ing the watercourse as far as Whinky
creek. The road then-climbs out of
the canyon and bisects tho famous
Hood river orchard district, passing
along the west of Booth hill and
climbing by that route from the lower
to the upper Hood river valley. On
penetrating the upper country the
new road follows closely existing
county roads across the flat to Park
dale and thence to the junction with
the national foreBt road a few miles
south of that point.
The loop highway will be a com
plement to the Columbia river high
way. The road, counting that por
tion of the Columbia highway from
Hood River back to Portland, will be
162 miles In length In spite of the
fact that the road will run almost at
the edge of the great snow fields of
Mount Hood, it will not reach an un
usually high altitude At no polni
will the grade be excessive, the usual
5 per cent limitation of the highway
department being adhi-red to.
When the road is completed the en
tire trip can be made In one day. al
though two days will tie preferable,
with the night spent at one of the
several attractive resorts that will be
erected along the routo, or at some
camping spot where motorists who are
equipped to do so may pitch llici-
tents and prepare their owu meals.
With work on the various uncom
pleted sections of the road going
ahead rapidly It Is hoped that the en
tire road will be completed by 1924
and "that by the time of the exposi
tion in 1925 the loop will be in such
splendid shape that it will be one of
the great scenic attractions to offer
motorists who will flock to Oregon
by the tens of thousands during that
season.