Rediscover Timberline Lodge and Mount Hood

Forest Service volunteer programming offers variety of recreational opportunities

By Garth Guibord

The Sandy Post, Jul 23, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Garth Guibord / The Sandy Post

Grace Saad, a volunteer ranger for the Forest Service, tells a crowd about the surrounding geography at Timberline Lodge.

ADVERTISEMENTS

Lenore Martin, a Forest Service volunteer and Friends of Timberline board member, isn’t the only one who marvels at the fact that Timberline Lodge was built for a total of $1 million and was completed in 15 months.

“People go, ‘You can’t get permits in 15 month these days,’” Martin said.

For those people who take a trip up to the historical lodge and want to learn more of those little-known facts and stories about the landmark destination, Martin and other Forest Service volunteers are there to satisfy their curiosity.

As part of an interpretive program that encompasses a number of Forest Service assets in the area, volunteers will provide free daily tours of Timberline Lodge detailing its art, history, architecture and more.

“I think a lot of people, when they come up to the lodge, they (just) walk around,” said Grace Saad, volunteer ranger. “You really are missing out because you’re not getting the insight.”

While the lodge has offered tours for years, the Forest Service revamped them in 2005. Today, the tours – held at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. — attract up to 30 people each and typically take 30 to 45 minutes to complete.

Guides will illuminate some of the hidden stories of Timberline Lodge, including the tale behind the famous ram’s head symbol, which comes from an animal not found on the mountain, and why the compass on the floor of the entryway mistakenly points in the wrong direction of magnetic north.

Visitors will also gain a greater understanding of how the lodge was built, including the 800,000 pounds of rock used to make the six-sided fireplace in the center of the building. They’ll learn there’s enough wood in the lodge to create 300 three-bedroom houses and that the six pylons at the center of the building are each made from 32-foot tall ponderosa pine trees.

Dexter Marin, another Forest Service volunteer and member of Friends of Timberline (and husband of Lenore), noted that his favorite part is all the handcrafted wrought-iron work that is seen throughout the lodge. He believes that these pieces of crucial hardware seem to be some of the overlooked parts of the building.

“It’s so impressive and difficult to grasp how much effort has gone into it to make (them),” he said. “When you get up close and look at what holds up … a 1,100- to 1,800-pound door, it’s something that sends a strong message.”

1 | 2 Next Page >>