On Mount Hood — On Sale
Know a fan of Mount Hood? A skier, a climber, a camper, a hiker? Someone who loves Timberline Lodge, Cooper Spur, Mt. Hood Meadows, Hood River Valley apples and pears? Someone who loves to read about amazing people and places?
If so, On Mount Hood: A Biography of Oregon’s Perilous Peak may be the perfect gift this Christmas.
And between now and Dec. 31, 2012, signed copies of On Mount Hood are available for just $15 (plus shipping, if applicable) direct from this site. Simply get in touch through the contact page and you’ll be on your way to making someone smile big this Christmas.
The Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum
It’s late tonight, so we’re just going to keep in simple and make sure we get a post in for the 2012 Blogathon.
Thanks to a Living Social deal, we hung out yesterday afternoon at the Columbia Gorge Wine and Pear Festival in Hood River at the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum. It’s kind of a tucked-away place, but it’s one worth checking out. Not only does the museum have an incredible view of Mount Hood, but it also has an impressive collection of old airplanes, automobiles and motorcycles, most if not all of which are in functioning order and get used somewhat regularly. Throw in some great wines from wineries like Marchesi, Phelps Creek and Viento, a little live music, and some bits for the kids, and you’ve got the makings for a great afternoon — and a geat story.
An eruption reminder
It was 32 years ago today (May 18) that Mount St. Helens blew its top in the most destructive volcanic eruption in the recorded history of the United States. Fifty-seven people were killed, hundreds of homes, bridges, miles of highway, and more were obliterated, and the landscape of the region was forever changed.
St. Helens erupting on May 18, 1980. Image accessed through Wikimedia Commons.
This day is always a good one to remember. Not just because it’s the birthday of one of my very best friends, but because it serves as a good reminder of just what these mountains here in the Pacific Northwest might be capable of. According to a 2010 USGS top ten list of the most dangerous volcanoes in the U.S. based on size and potential damage of an eruption, seven of the them are Cascade Peaks. In order on the list: St. Helens (2), Rainier (3), Mount Hood (4), Shasta (5), South Sister (6), Lassen Peak (7), and Crater Lake (10).
According to the geologists that I talked to for my book, there’s a good chance that we won’t see Mount Hood erupt in our lifetime. It’s been a while since it’s erupted — about 230 years — and even though there are constant rumblings deep underneath the mountain and active fumaroles up higher, there don’t seem to be any major signs that the mountain is coming back to life anytime soon. That said, it doesn’t mean that people haven’t planned for the possibility of an eruption or that the door isn’t always open for the possibility. With volcanoes, it has to be.
“Until the volcano chooses to give us some indication that unrest is beginning, things motor on and are just fine,” said Cynthia Gardner, a geologist at the Cascades Volcano Observatory, who I interviewed for the book. “And then one day they aren’t fine anymore.”
23:56
The 2012 Lake Run. A glorious day for a run today: sunny, warm but breezy, crystal clear. I met a personal goal and resolution of mine to break 24 minutes again in the 5k. The kids loved the inflatable slide, and Madeline even partook of the running aspect herself this year, joining in the Kid’s Dash.
Whether today’s run will ultimately lead any of us to climb Mount Hood later this season remains to be seen. No matter, though, it was a glorious day for a run.
(Funny, too, to look back on this post from my very first blog and our very first Lake Run four years ago…)
On Mount Hood Events
When the book first launched last year, I had a full schedule of events going on. Places like Powell’s, Wy’East Book Shoppe & Art Gallery, OPB’s Think Out Loud up at Timberline Lodge. It got busy again around the holidays, with the Mazamas, the Oregon Historical Society, the Audubon Society and others.
This was from a brief talk I gave back in October to a group of Mt. Hood Ski Patrol veterans who meet every few months for lunch. Paul Kunkel, a former member of the patrol, graciously invited me to attend after reading the book, which he’d received as a gift.
I try to keep my schedule at least regular when it comes to events now. I’ve done a few over the past couple weeks, and I’ve got another one coming up next month at the Eugene Public Library. It’s a great way for me to get out, spread the word about the book, and meet other people, like Paul and his wife, who have a real fondness for Mount Hood. More to come, I’m sure.
Mount Hood and Mink River
Earlier this year, I read a fantastically Oregon book. Called Mink River and written by Lake Oswego author Brian Doyle, it’s a creative and excellent book that captures the essence of Oregon and the unique communities and characters that reside here. It’s also got a direct link to Mount Hood and some of its storied ice caves. I’ve never explored any of those, but they’re up there.
One of my favorite books of all time is Ken Kesey’s Sometimes a Great Notion, in part because when you read that book, you are experiencing Oregon in the written word. If I ever leave this wonderful corner of the country, and I don’t plan to, I will read that book again and again to bring me back. I can now also turn back to Mink River, which imparts that exact same soggy, verdant, enlightened, dreary, glorious, natural, awe-inspiring, and absolutely singular spirit of this place. Loved the book.
On MOUNT HOOD 
