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 and stayed until dinner there was no snow.  There was, however, a chilled wind that 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 were surrounded within the lodge by large and lit fireplaces.  

The lodge is a complete haven after days of skiing, snowboarding, 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/

On a bronze tablet  embedded in the stone ledge directly above the main entrance of the lodge are written 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”.  Given the time, 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. 

The long extension of guest rooms.

The entire lodge is rustic, characterized by local natural materials and a design that blends into the landscape. In the center of the lodge is the head house, shown here with its 800,000 pound great stone chimney. The head house design is a hexagon. It opens to two uneven wings with guest rooms, dining rooms, event rooms, etc. We passed a bride in the halls while exploring.

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A writing nook (buy your cards in the gift store at the end of the long hall after reception).

All of the furniture was handmade of metal and local wood. The upholstery and curtain fabric woven by W.P.A. workers.

We had dinner, with all the flavors of the Pacific Northwest, on the upper level 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 who later became famous for their work.

There is another, large dining room, the Cascade Dining Room, on the entrance level.

Discarded cedar utility poles were repurposed as newel posts in the stairways. There are nineteen of them in all, crowned with carvings of area wildlife.

Applique on the curtains in the Barrow Meeting Room. As it was the only material available, the murals on the walls were carved into linoleum . They were later painted and sealed. They depict scenes of the people of the time skiing, dancing, camping.

A fountain near the exit door surrounded by glass mosaic.

When we left Timberline 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. So worth it and so looking forward to going to Timberline Lodge one more time.

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