Return To The Mountain

One of the benefits of growing up in East Portland was its proximity to Mt. Hood and environs. My grandparents, Carl and Emilia Cargni, shared a cabin in Welches with my great-uncle and great-aunt which we would frequent often. The town sits squarely in the middle of the Mt. Hood Corridor near the peak, along with other little towns and villages like Brightwood, Wemme, Zigzag and Rhododendron.

It would be the beginning of my lifelong love affair with the mountain, known as Wy'east to the indigenous peoples of the Sandy, Zigzag and Salmon River drainages. Since those early years, I have continued to make pilgrimages to "the mountain," as it's simply know to locals. My Dad (Rhododendron), sister (Welches) and uncle (Zigzag) have all owned homes along the Mt. Hood Corridor over the years.

The Mt. Hood Corridor, now known as U.S. Highway 26. follows the old Barlow Road, built in 1846 by Sam Barlow and Philip Foster. The toll road was constructed to allow covered wagons to cross the Cascade Range in reaching the Willamette Valley. Before the opening of the Barlow Road, pioneers floated down the Columbia River from The Dalles to Fort Vancouver, in those days a hazardous and expensive journey.

In keeping the family tradition alive, we spent a week on the mountain this month at a dog-friendly Airbnb located between Brightwood and Wemme. Brightwood appears to be one of the few little villages along the Barlow Road that was bypassed by the Mt. Hood Scenic Highway, primarily because the town was unfortunately located on the north side of the Sandy River, unlike Wemme, Welches, Zigzag and Rhododendron.

As a result, Brightwood is not unlike some of the small towns along U.S. Highway 66, more popularly known as Route 66, when major interstates bypassed the little burgs and left many outposts essentially marooned. A prime example is the Brightwood Tavern, a throwback in the center of town. The old log cabin structure is dark on the inside, with little natural light, and reeks of cigarette smoke from the casino in the back.

The rental was reasonably priced and featured a fenced yard with play area, hot tub and swimming pool, a perfect spot for a weeklong hiatus on the mountain. A highlight was a trip up to historic Timberline Lodge, which was built and furnished by local artisans during the Great Depression. Timberline Lodge was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.