Looking out the windows of our home, you see an amazing view of valleys and mountains.
The view
of the 4,364 foot tall mountain that we wake up to every morning is a popular
destination for hikers due to the fantastic 360 degree panoramic viewpoint from
the top. On a clear day you can see five
Cascade volcanoes: Rainier, St Helens, Adams, Hood and Jefferson. It is also a former lookout site; the only
thing remaining is a leftover foundation of the fire tower on the summit.
Another
neat aspect of this mountain is the “Indian Pits” out on an eastern ridge, where
there are about 6 strange hollowed-out pits.
Long ago these pits, along with others found along the Columbia Gorge,
were made by removing heavy chunks of basalt and stacking them around the rims
of the man-sized depressions.
Who
built the crude pits or why is not fully known.
Anthropologists suggest that Native American Indians dug and used the
pits for meditation or vision quests.
Their often spectacular locations would suggest that inspiration was an
important consideration in selecting pit sites.
With few exceptions, they are positioned with sweeping views of river
and sky where sunrise, sunsets and the heavens could be fully experienced.
We
have had several friends hike the eastern ridge of the mountain and they have
taken photos looking back at our place. We
see the mountain every day, so it’s neat to see the mountain looking back at
us.
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| This picture was take by a friend this past weekend. The arrow is pointing to our house. |
