The winter of 1939-40 must have been harsh, as this is the view that greeted Legion climbers at the summit of Mt. Hood in 1940. Closer views show all the wire stays have snapped.
Looks like it lost the game of "King of the Mountain Top" to the wind.
Is the lack of snow normal for this area of the mountain?
Charlott
I wish I had of asked my Dad what year the lookout station fell down. My guess is it would have been the next winter. I can’t see it standing another rash of winter wind. I think this was the last Legion Climb until after the war. Maybe Bill knows. Appears from the dress that it was a nice day for a jaunt up old Wy’east. Looks like a nice group that climbed that day.
Buzz
Somebody enlighten me. What is all this "stuff" on the mountain. Wasn’t anything there but snow by the late 50’s.
Charlott
It would depend on what the snow pack had been and what the weather had been for a couple of months or so prior. If it was a warm summer with the freezing level up above the 1l,000 foot level that snow will go off fairly rapidly.
Take into consideration that the look out was built in the teens and had gone through many winter and much wind. Amazing it stayed up there as long as it did.
Charlott
Well the fire look out did fall apart, so it wouldn’t have been there by the 1950’s, if that is what you mean.
If anyone wants to see a re-production of the lookout go over to Government Camp to the museum there and they have a re-construction of it in their lower level, plus a lot of the original things that were in it. Very informative and enjoyable to see just what went on in its heydays. I have a friend who’s father was one of the first looks outs. In fact him and his wife spent their honeymoon up there. Due to weather conditions their honeymoon was longer than they had planned as they couldn’t safely get down. He kept wonderful diaries of his days on the mountain.
Longshot2
Must have been some pretty good winds at a time when there wasn’t snow built up around the building to hold it in place.
Judy
Wonder who the princess was that year? I do not think she made the climb. Charlott~ Those diaries would be great for the Museum.
Bill P.
I recall a climb in late 1945 where whole panels of the building were scattered in the area between the man with his back to us and the camera. These scattered remains provided a warm flat surface to each your lunch and take a nap on. The feeling at the time was that a very strong storm blew the bulding apart and scattered it the east of Mazama Rock (behind the tall alpine stock. If it just got old and fell over it would have gone the direction it is leaning to the south. Years later we said how much we missed those warm boards..
l.e.
Looks like it lost the game of "King of the Mountain Top" to the wind.
Is the lack of snow normal for this area of the mountain?
Charlott
I wish I had of asked my Dad what year the lookout station fell down. My guess is it would have been the next winter. I can’t see it standing another rash of winter wind. I think this was the last Legion Climb until after the war. Maybe Bill knows. Appears from the dress that it was a nice day for a jaunt up old Wy’east. Looks like a nice group that climbed that day.
Buzz
Somebody enlighten me. What is all this "stuff" on the mountain. Wasn’t anything there but snow by the late 50’s.
Charlott
It would depend on what the snow pack had been and what the weather had been for a couple of months or so prior. If it was a warm summer with the freezing level up above the 1l,000 foot level that snow will go off fairly rapidly.
Take into consideration that the look out was built in the teens and had gone through many winter and much wind. Amazing it stayed up there as long as it did.
Charlott
Well the fire look out did fall apart, so it wouldn’t have been there by the 1950’s, if that is what you mean.
If anyone wants to see a re-production of the lookout go over to Government Camp to the museum there and they have a re-construction of it in their lower level, plus a lot of the original things that were in it. Very informative and enjoyable to see just what went on in its heydays. I have a friend who’s father was one of the first looks outs. In fact him and his wife spent their honeymoon up there. Due to weather conditions their honeymoon was longer than they had planned as they couldn’t safely get down. He kept wonderful diaries of his days on the mountain.
Longshot2
Must have been some pretty good winds at a time when there wasn’t snow built up around the building to hold it in place.
Judy
Wonder who the princess was that year? I do not think she made the climb.
Charlott~ Those diaries would be great for the Museum.
Bill P.
I recall a climb in late 1945 where whole panels of the building were scattered in the area between the man with his back to us and the camera. These scattered remains provided a warm flat surface to each your lunch and take a nap on. The feeling at the time was that a very strong storm blew the bulding apart and scattered it the east of Mazama Rock (behind the tall alpine stock. If it just got old and fell over it would have gone the direction it is leaning to the south. Years later we said how much we missed those warm boards..
Bill P.