I've poked around the south side of Hood, but a couple recent observations were new to me.
Exhibit A and B:
Imagine if the pit in pic A was filled in, as would normally happen in a windy dusty environment. All you'd see above ground would be the left and right sides of the foundation. I've seen those twin parallel slabs before, and wondered what they were. But here's one that's only partially filled. My first thought was waterworks (there's at least one old concrete dam up there, still wet but presumably abandoned). But the box you see in exhibit B seems to be connected to conduit, not water pipes. And there's no other inlet/outlet. This thing is big enough to camp in, more than 7' diagonal, with a couple convenient benches for your kitchen setup, no worries about wind, and you could easily toss a tarp over if rain comes. (I'd seriously consider doing it, but it's just not high enough. It's above Timberline, but I'd want it to be Palmer elevation.) But I digress; the only plausible explanation I can think of is a primitive lift system, possibly even a rope tow. Assuming I'm guessing right, I was initially disgusted they weren't demolished, but I'm starting to think they're kinda cool, in the same way that an ancient landfill can be a source of great joy to an archaeologist.
Exhibit C is a wooden platform spanning Salmon River. It's a ways upstream from the trail crossing(s). I've been there before, but never noticed it. Salmon River is a conduit for a great deal of silt, and you can see it's partially buried, so I suspect it was entirely concealed on my previous visits (an explanation I'm more comfortable with than my poor observation/memory). If a bridge, it's a strange one: rather wide, and so low that it would easily be clogged with silt or rocks rolling off the sides of the gully, or flood debris. Oh, but wait, maybe it used to be higher. Yeah, that makes sense. What do you think, bridge?
a couple mysteries on Mt Hood's industrial zone
Re: a couple mysteries on Mt Hood's industrial zone
I saw a giant piece of concrete one year, uphill of the Timberline Trail, on the side of a moraine in a creek drainage (Coe Branch, Eliot Creek?). The concrete had a marking on it, like it was the giant letter A or something. Now of course this is all very vague. I wish I could remember better! I could not figure out why it was there.
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.