Date: 8/27/16
Miles: 2.4
Total Miles: 2094.4
The shortest of nearos began with a lot of anticipation, of Timberline Lodge, of the breakfast buffet, and of finally seeing Emily and my Mom. The breezy morning whipped up clouds of dust and sand that made it look like low lying fog in the photos we took of the sun casting its first rays onto the mountain.
Arriving only minutes before the dining room opened for breakfast, we sat down to gorge on pancakes, scrambled eggs, frittatas, sausage, ham, raspberry smoothies, and the list goes on. It was every bit as good as it was billed to be. It felt like quite a luxury after only covering a little over two miles for the day, but we'd been thinking about this meal for more than two weeks--the time since we'd last had a meal not consisting of trail food. Afterwards, we sat in Adirondack chairs on the back patio of the lodge looking directly up the slopes of Mt. Hood while we waited for Emily and my Mom to arrive.
Timberline Lodge occupies an incredible perch on Mt. Hood, with a ski area extending both above and below the lodge. It's also perhaps best known for being the setting for the outside shots of the hotel in the movie The Shining.
In early afternoon, Emily and Mom arrived and I was overjoyed to see them both. We toured the lodge for a bit before riding down the mountain to a little inn where we'd stay the night.
Beardoh and Sweet Pea's good friend Q-ball also drove out from Portland to join us for the day, and it was great to finally meet someone who I'd heard so much about from their stories of hiking together. Dinner at the Mt. Hood Brewery felt like just the right way to tie a bow on a beautiful and relaxing day.
