After Multnomah Falls, our next stop was the Timberline Lodge in Government Camp, Oregon. The Lodge sits at the base of Mt. Hood and was an obvious place to stay, not only due to its convenient location but because of the lodge’s fun and alluring history.
Despite Timberline’s rich and compelling history, its status as a famous landmark owes itself primarily to its appearance in Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 movie The Shining, which has gained numerous cult followers among both Stephen King and Jack Nicholson fans. The film uses exterior aerial shots of Timberline Lodge and its place in the film led people to falsely believe that Timberline had extensive level ground and an impressive and imposing hedge maze in which one would undoubtedly find Johnny’s frozen body (it does not, and you won’t). It’s such a claim to fame for the hotel, their website even features its own page on the cult classic.
 |
| Exterior of the Timberline Lodge seen in The Shining |
 |
| Don and Donna on the front steps |
Those familiar with the movie and the book might already know that the room number in the book (#217) did not match the room number depicted in the movie (#237). Story goes that Timberline Lodge was concerned that guests would be too afraid to stay in Room 217, so they asked Stanley Kubrick to substitute a random number in the film (he used Room 237). Interestingly, Room 217 is the most requested room at Timberline Lodge.
 |
| Here’s Johnny! |
Timberline Lodge has an extraordinarily unique and fascinating history, reflected in its age, which is simultaneously the greatest asset and greatest downfall of the lodge. I understand that’s quite a statement coming from this amateur traveler, and I’ll get to my point in a second. First, however, we start with the most important member of the Timberline Lodge: Heidi the St. Bernard mascot!
 |
| Meet Heidi! Heidi has a St. Bernard companion named Bruno, owned by Timberline’s food and beverage manager. Bruno wasn’t there that day; when I inquired as to why, we learned that Bruno is a bit “anti social.” |
Timberline Lodge has a history of these live-in St. Bernard dogs that provide morale, love, hugs, and support to weary skiers and travelers. The first two St. Bernards to live at Timberline were Lady and Bruel in the 1930’s.
Since the 1960’s when the Kohnstamm family took over the Timberline Lodge, there have been about nine generations of Heidis and Brunos (they are continually re-named Heidi and Bruno). Originally, Heidi and Bruno lived on the premises and wandered around the hotel interacting with hotel staff and guests. For some reason, in the 1990’s, the staff at Timberline started to notice that Heidi and Bruno were a bit skittish and stressed out; apparently they seemed moody and confused as they roamed the large halls of the lodge. The hotel did the right thing and called in a dog psychologist who indicated that the dogs’ moods were likely due to the absence of a master. The psychologist suggested the dogs felt alone and lost with no one to answer to or go home with. Armed with this advice, the hotel changed its policy and the dogs officially began to belong to hotel employees and go home with them each night.
 |
| Mr. Kohnstamm and Heidi |
I loved Heidi. She was friendly and happy and loved hugs and pets. Kids loved her and everyone wanted to take a picture with her. Including me.
 |
| She liked me the best. Obvi. |
Back to my rather loaded statement…Timberline lodge is old. Like, old. And I don’t mean this purely by the number of years the lodge has been running but by its sheer look and style. Again, this was the lodge’s greatest asset and its greatest downfall. The lodge had found itself stuck between its unique history that guests demanded during their visit and the unfortunate characteristics that come with outdated buildings. A prime example of what I’m talking about was the rooms. The room we stayed in was very cute; it perfectly emulated a gorgeous little ski lodge complete with wood walls, old windows, and creaky floors. Yet, it was burdened with the same – thin wooden walls complete with people’s stomping footsteps upstairs, old windows with no screens that stuck often, and creaky floors that became particularly attractive at 4 a.m. when some kid decided to run up and down the hallway.
Side note: despite this, we had an absolutely GORGEOUS view of Mt. Hood from our window (more on Mt. Hood later!)
 |
| Breathtaking! |
When I say the hotel finds itself “stuck,” I mean that it cannot update the lodge too much or make it more modern without losing the appeal of its age and uniqueness. Nobody wants to go to the Timberline Lodge, pay the rather expensive room rates, and have the inside of a historic Oregon hotel look like another run of the mill highway motel. Its negatives are its frustrating positives.
 |
| Looking down from the top floor onto the main lobby and living room area. Furniture has been here since 1936! |
That night we settled into our room and went to the Cascade Dining Room for dinner. Timberline Lodge essentially has three places to eat: the Cascade Dining Room, Blue Ox Bar, and Ram’s Head Bar. The Blue Ox Bar was closed the entire time we were there. It was unclear why but I can’t tell you anything about it as I didn’t have the opportunity to frequent it. However, I spent plenty-a-time at the Cascade Dining Room and the Rams Head Bar.
The menu was small and quite limited. If there are any vegetarians, or god forbid vegans, reading this post, I’m going to tell you right now – you will pretty much starve.
 |
| Dear Vegetarians: You will have the salad. And a buttload of cheese. And maybe that praline tart. Dear Vegans: You’re going to starve to death. |
I’m not a vegetarian by conviction necessarily, but I do prefer to eat vegetarian if I can. So, I ate a lot of cheese while at the Timberline Lodge waiting for Andy to finish climbing Mt. Hood. I tried all five artisan cheeses (I’ll rate them later). Later on in the trip, while mowing down on my third cheese platter, I learned from the waiter that the menus are limited because the kitchens are old. In fact, according to one of the waiters, one of the kitchens upstairs is an old ski closet and thus doesn’t have ventilation for entrees such as steaks or hamburgers. Hence, a lot of cheese. I probably gained like 10 pounds due to all the cheese I ate. The amount of cheese I consumed can only be described as horrendous and unnecessary. I did the work of a small colony of mice.
 |
| “Hmmmmm, I’m not a vegetarian or vegan. Look at all this food!!” |
For all you meat lovers, the menu will delight you. Andy got the salmon; he said it was incredibly tasty! For dessert we got blackberry sorbet, which was also very scrumptious.
 |
| Blackberry sorbet! |
We finished off that evening with a dip in the hot tub. The lodge pool was very pretty. It was clean and well maintained and was never super crowded at any given time. The pool area had numerous lounge chairs, tables, and umbrellas, along with a sauna and small workout room. We spent as much time there as we could.
 |
| Don and Donna enjoying the hot tub |
 |
| Pretty pool in the Oregon fog |
The next two days could have been reduced to a book titled “Trapped at the Timberline Lodge.” Andy was obviously there to climb Mt. Hood and had responsibilities and meetings related to his climb, so I was on my own.
That first day, Andy had a meet and greet with his climbing team. They were to spend the afternoon doing equipment checks and safety training. He was to be gone most of the day so I searched for things to do. I was under the impression that there was numerous activities available at Timberline Lodge. Not so. Not so at all. In Timberline Lodge’s defense, we were there in late May, so any chance I had of snow-related activities melted quickly (I’m so funny!). I have only skied once in my life, and to the confusion of many, I did not find it enjoyable. However, I’m not one to dismiss an activity without giving it a fair shot, so I thought I could maybe take a ski lesson or rent a snowboard and play around. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough snow for that; the skiers and snowboarders who were there were traversing the upper black diamond routes that still had snow. If I had tried that, I would have died. Unless I was vegan, in which case I would have already starved to death.
I also thought there might be bike rentals or hikes around the property, but there weren’t. Even exploring the outside of the hotel became tiresome. By the time we left the lodge, I had walked the perimeter of the hotel like 384702948502935704980 times. I did have my running shoes and my F&H Fitness tank top (best gym on the plaaaaaaanet), so I decided to go for a run.
The trail started pretty normal but was quickly interrupted by large snow banks and dense fog that decorated the sides of the mountain. They were slippery and hard to run in, but despite this, the run was gorgeous and the mountain was stunning.
 |
| Timberline Lodge in the fog |
On the way back, Mt. Hood had emerged from behind the clouds. It was beautiful!
 |
| Well hello there Mt. Hood! |
After my run, I took a shower, grabbed my laptop, and headed to the Ram’s Head Bar for lunch. Their menu was even smaller than the Cascade Dining Room Menu.
 |
| What did I order you ask? That’s right, the cheese. |
My entree into the megacosom of fromage began with the Chevre. Here’s a breakdown of the cheeses I consumed, in order of my most favorite to least favorite:
1. Camp Fire: From the Mt. Townsend Creamery in Port Townsend, Washington. Described as “alder & applewood smoked Washington jack.”
2. Glacier Blue: From the Cascadia Creamery in Trout Lake, Washington. Described as “raw & organic cow’s milk, aged in lava tubes.”
3. Chevre: From the Briar Rose Creamery in Dundee, Oregon. Described as “fresh, creamy, nutty & smooth with a hint of fresh citrus, goats milk.”
4. Aged Cheddar: From the Cada Dia Creamery in Pineville, Oregon. Described as “aged 12 months, raw & organic cow’s milk.”
5. Aged Gouda: From the Willamette Valley Creamery in Salem, Oregon. Described as “raw Jersey cow’s milk, aged 12 months.”
Your welcome for that list. Here’s a picture of the list:
 |
| “Hi yes, I’ll take all 5 cheeses. That’s right, all 5. Don’t stare at me, hop to.” |
 |
| “Mom, I’ve had it with the cheese.” – Don |
 |
| I branched out and got a salad with my cheese |
After cheesing it up for the afternoon, Don and Donna and I took one of our five billion walks around the Lodge.
 |
| Side of the Lodge with Mt. Hood in the background. |
 |
| Beautiful Mt. Hood. |
 |
| Ski lift |
 |
| Ski Lift Map |
 |
| Hello! |
 |
| Getting in their exercise on the Timberline trails |
Andy finished his training and equipment check and met me in our room for dinner. He proudly told me that he received numerous compliments on his climbing gear! Andy wanted to get to bed early, as the climb was to begin at about 2am the next morning, so we headed down to Government Camp for a quick dinner at the Mount Hood Brewing Company.
Government Camp is a cute little town (although technically unincorporated), just a few minutes drive from the Timberline Lodge. It is the quintessential “mountain town,” as it is the only town within a 5 mile radius of Timberline Lodge.
Mount Hood Brewing Company opened in January of 1991 and features pub-style cuisine and locally produced beers. A combination of glacial water, Pacific Northwest grown barley and hops, and the unique inspiration of the Brewery’s brewers produce distinctly individual ales that Mount Hood Brewing Company is very proud of. On the menu when we were there was the Highland Meadow Blonde Ale, Cascadian Pale Ale, Ice Axe India Pale Ale, Cloud Cap Amber Ale, Multorporter Smoked Porter, and the Hogsback Oatmeal Stout. See their brewing process here.
 |
| Carb and protein loading with lamb stew and rice. And a beer. Priorities. |
We headed back to Timberline Lodge and Andy went to bed. I tried to sleep too but it was way too early. So, back I went to the Ram’s Head Bar to see if they added anymore cheeses to the menu in the last 24 hours. They had not. I hung out there for awhile, checked some work email and watched a movie on my laptop.
The next day, Andy was climbing Mt. Hood. He woke up about 1am to meet his climbing group at 2am. I woke up about 10, got some breakfast, and signed up for a Timberline Lodge hotel tour (essentially because I had run out of things to do). It was actually a pretty fascinating tour!
The tour started with a brief introduction from our guide, Colonel Gary Prescott, who had been living in the area since 1968. He was the State Surgeon for the Oregon National Guard and retired in 2002 to join the Park Service. He has been giving tours of Timberline Lodge since then.
 |
| Colonel Gary Prescott |
Colonel Prescott started the tour by giving us a brief history of Timberline Lodge. It was built in 1936 at an elevation of 5,960 feet, as a “Works Progress Administration” project during the Great Depression. Its main builder was a likable dreamer named John Steiner. The idea behind the lodge was to utilize the resources and left-behind items around the lodge, including local timber and stone, to build it. To this day, the lodge has no weight-bearing metal in the entire structure, as metal was expensive and hard to find at the time. On September 28, 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the lodge (his speech lasted 16 minutes). One of the many reasons the lodge was so unique at the time is it advertised itself as a pioneer in winter sports; in the 1930’s, winter was not necessarily seen as an “enjoyable” season – the concept of skiing, snowshoeing, tobogganing, and of course snowboarding (which didn’t really begin until the 1960’s) were foreign to most people. Timberline Lodge wanted to change that. The “Magic Mile” chairlift opened in November 1939; despite the slow acclimation to fun winter activities, skiing at the lodge took off. Today, Timberline Lodge has the longest skiing season in the United States and is open every month of the year.
 |
| Copy of President Roosevelt’s speech |
Unfortunately, at the start of Timberline’s life, few people were able to keep up with the maintenance and updates required of it. Numerous owners came and went, and by the mid 1950’s, the lodge closed and fell into disrepair. In comes Richard Kohnstamm (the man in the painting with the original Heidi). Mr. Kohnstamm suggested that the lodge would flourish if privately owned, as opposed to struggling under government stewardship. Accordingly, Mr. Kohnstamm took full ownership of the lodge, colliding perfectly with skiing’s uptick in population in the 1950’s. By 1960, the lodge was back and running again, more powerfully than ever. Mr. Kohnstamm died on April 21, 2006; his son now works as the Area Operator of the lodge.
Our tour with Colonel Prescott began in the hallway on the bottom floor near the Blue Ox Bar. Colonel Prescott showed us a door in the hallway that featured the original iron used as the hinges (among other things!) A majority of this iron was taken from abandoned railroad tracks and nails, melted, and formed into door handles, knockers, hinges, screws, and boot scrapers.
 |
| Wrought-iron boot scraper |
My favorite part of the “recycled iron” was the fireplace. Colonel Prescott explained that the grating in the fireplace is actually two old railroad tracks, which upon closer inspection is exactly what they looked like! The metal curtain covering the fireplace was made with old snow-machine chains. Everything in this hotel had essentially been recycled!
 |
| Railroad tracks and snow-machine chains |
Next, Colonel Prescott showed us the loom; all the rugs and curtains in the lodge had been handmade by a loom. I didn’t notice them before; they were old and faded, but beautiful (especially knowing they were all made by hand!)
 |
| Loom was made in 1932 |
He also pointed out the timbers holding up the entire building. Made from local Oregon timber, each timber weighed roughly a ton and it took Mr. Steiner about 7-10 days to cut each one. Additionally, all of the newel posts on the stairs were originally cedar telephone poles, which Mr. Steiner bought from the government for $2.10 each. On the top of each post is a hand carved animal.
 |
| Colonel Prescott also pointed out that all the floors in the lodge are Oregon White Oak. |
 |
| Eagle newel post. Picture from Clackamas County, Oregon scenic images. |
 |
| Bear newel post. Picture from this cool blog. |
Around the corner from the loom area was a little library with a video of the lodge’s history that played on repeat. The walls of this area were adorned with old pictures of the lodge’s guests, paintings, maps, and old ski equipment.
 |
| Library |
My other favorite part of the tour were the numerous murals on the walls and floors. I figured they were just regular murals, but I should have known better! As everything else in the lodge was recycled, so too were these murals! Each one was made with scraps of glass and broken bottles that had been found around the grounds. Nothing was wasted, and very little was bought new!
 |
| Compass mural on the floor near the entrance |
 |
What was also interesting is one would presume that the lodge had to have some kind of Native American influence, as their culture and art had a big place in Oregon history. However, Colonel Prescott told us that there was no Native American influence in the lodge at all. In fact, many of the symbols seen throughout the lodge were taken from the Girl Scout Handbook!
 |
| Girl Scout symbol of 4 hands on the top of the fireplace. Carved there to commemorate the men and women who built the lodge with their own hands. |
To save money on expensive art and decor, the lodge hired numerous wood carvers to carve animals and other designs into the timber along the walls. Above one of the exits was a beautiful carving of a mountain lion. The woman who carved it initially intended for it to go in the Cascade Dining Room, but was concerned that it would scare the diners. Thus, it was placed outside the dining room near the exit.
 |
| Scary. |
Colonel Prescott finished off the tour by showing us the wrought-iron doors of the Cascade Dining Room. Each door weighs 1800 pounds!
The Timberline Lodge truly was beautiful and worth a stay. Just don’t get trapped there like I did. And lay off the cheese.