Oregon Hikers

I’ve noticed a “Camp Blossom” mentioned on some old maps, usually just up the mountain from Timberline.
I also found this photo of a small cabin that’s clearly somewhere near Timberline (notice Illumination Rock in the background).
Not much confusion there. (Still, I wonder what the story behind it was.) Then I found a poster of a map of Hood which put Camp Blossom in a completely different spot, on upper Illumination Ridge.
Now I figured this was just a map error, but what struck me was where they put it. If you look closely on a map, you can see a small, flat landing in upper Illumination Ridge. It’s probably a few hundred square feet. Maybe a tarn used to be there, like in those flat spots in upper Newton Clark area above the Timberline Trail.
Has anyone been to this spot while exploring Illumination Ridge? That’s been a common topic in the off-trail TRs here. I’m curious to see what’s out there, it looks like a cool spot.

Isn't there a building a bit above Timberline lodge, maybe a water storage tank?

On the Caltopo map just left of camp blossom is Timberline Cabin. Maybe that is the cabin in the photo?.

Yeah I was wondering about that timberline cabin. I thought it might have been Silcox.

That was known as the Timberline Cabin and it was built at Camp Blossom in 1916. It was primarily used by skiers and climbers. According to this book the cabin was "about one-half mile west of Timberline Lodge in an area near current ski runs." That makes sense because when you hike the Timberline Trail west from the lodge you'll pass a small sign on a tree (below) and near that sign is an old stone foundation.



Below are two more historic photos. The second one is the Timberline Hotel, built in 1924. "A removable panel exposed a lunch counter where a climber could buy a cup of coffee for 10 cents, a premium price at that time. Three tents with mattresses and springs accommodated the customers who brought their own blankets. Sleeping bags were were still virtually unknown in that era. The entire operation was typically managed by some young climber willing to guide a party to the summit and then return to cook a meal and collect for the use of the beds. This was the first commercial venture at the south side timberline and to have a USFS permit for that area. Timberline Hotel closed forever in 1930." (Mount Hood: A Complete History, by Jack Bauer)

Ok, so that’s the original camp blossom. Has anyone been to illumination landing? (I’m looking at you, Chip )

Nice research, Cheryl!

justpeachy wrote: ↑

December 18th, 2019, 8:23 pm

The second one is the Timberline Hotel, built in 1924. "A removable panel exposed a lunch counter where a climber could buy a cup of coffee for 10 cents, a premium price at that time....

According to BLS.gov, 10 cents in 1924 would be $1.50 now. I doubt there's anywhere in Portland you could get a cup of coffee for that cheap now (actual good coffee is literally double that price for a cup), let alone how much it would cost at, say, Timberline! Coffeeflation....

CyrusK. wrote: ↑

December 18th, 2019, 8:37 pm

Ok, so that’s the original camp blossom. Has anyone been to illumination landing? (I’m looking at you, Chip )

Nice spot. There's a little snow patch that persists well into summer, maybe all year. A short easy scramble north to Illumination Ridge affords a great view of Reid Glacier. I've been there as late as August (pic below) and never saw any sign that humans came before me. Surely other hikers have been there, but no remnants of development.

Thanks!

The Blossom Cabin with which I am familiar is the old ranger station where the Blossom Trail and the Timberline Trail meet (about a 0.6 mile from Timberline Lodge). There are a few stones remaining at this site.

This seems to be the one shown on the first map. I was not aware of a higher cabin referenced on some of the maps.