1 11, It 1 1111 0 0 The ML Washington Hotel is a turn-of-the- century Grand Hotel. Summer skiing on the Palmer snowfield begins in mid-May and runs through Labor Day. Hours are early— from 7 am. to 1:30 p.m.— to avoid summer slush. Built in 1978, the Palmer chairlift was the first lift service for summer skiers in North America. Al- though the lift is for intermediate skiers or better (U.S. and Canadian Olympic ski teams train here in summer), Timberline's winter- time slopes are equally divided between be- winds of 231 miles per hour were recorded here in 1934. Down at the base, in the safety and comfort of the Mt. Washington Hotel, the "Kung of the Mountain Kids Kamp" is as predictable as—no, make that more predictable than— the weather. Serving between 800 and 900 children each summer, the camp's routine is the same from week to week: on Monday it's tennis; Tuesday, a field trip; Wednesday, making ice cream; and Thursday, baking and decorating cookies in the hotel's impressive kitchen and bakery. Cost of the program is $7 for half day; $10 for a full day. For children too young for camp, private baby sitters can be arranged by prior request RESERVATION INFORMATION: The Mt. Washington Hotel, Rte. 302, Bretton Woods, N.H. 03575, phone 603-278-1000. Double occupancy $165 to $310; deluxe suite $485. Rates reflect Modified American Plan, which includes an American breakfast and ,four-course din- ner, for hotel rooms only. TIMBERLINE LODGE Sixty miles east of Portland, Timberline Lodge gives new and lofty meaning to the mountairi-house concept Dramatically poised at 6,000 feet on Mt Hood, Oregon's highest peak, it looks down on the Mt Hood National Forest, and above to the desolate, snow-covered summit Timberline features all the predictable offerings of a summer resort fishing in nearby mountain lakes and streams, swimming in the heated indoor pool, and mountain climb- ing and backpacking along the Pacific CrestTrail that cuts across Mt Hood near the lodge. Antique car rallies, a wine-and-craft fair over Labor day weekend, and a Swiss weekend round out the scheduled events. But with, it all, there's one thing Timberline has in sum- mer that very few other resorts can match— snow skiing. ginning, intermediate, and expert. Owned by the U.S. Forest Service, Timberline is less a luxury hotel than a comfortable hostelry with the rustic flavor of the Pacific Northwest Its sixty rooms are furnished with original pieces that were specifically made for the lodge. Its conference center is, happily, removed from hotel activities. The dining room features Oregon cuisine and an award-win- ning, mainly regional wine list But what makes Timberline especially compelling is the story of its creation. Timberline was conceived as a make-work project of the Works Progress Administra- tion, the Depression-era federal agency designed to provide people with jobs and train- ing. Dreamed up by a WPA administrator in Portland, the project was viewed with skepticism from the start Back then, while some were climbing the mountain and a few were skiing on it, people were always meeting with disaster on Mt Hood— losing their way and some- times meeting their deaths. A tiny hostelry built in 1924 stood just about where Timber- line stands today, but it was only an eight-by-sixteen-foot shack that provided food and a mattress to travelers. The prospect of a full-scale resort on Mt Hood at the time probably seemed ludicrous. But the project was launched. Built entirely by hand, the lodge emerged as a showcase for local materials and the talents of area stonemasons, ironworkers, and carpenters. From nearby mountain quardes, workers hauled in 400 tons of stone to build the great hexago- nal stone chimney. From the forest below, they selected the giant fir and pine trees, the great timbers that would become rafters and columns. It was not easy going: The road to the site was little more than a cow path, and winter weather threatened to strand the work- ers and halt the project altogether. Nevertheless, Timberline was completed in 1937, and Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke at its dedication of the "skill and faithful performance of work- ers on the rolls of the WPA." Inside, the huge hexagonal stone chimney with three walk-in fireplaces rises to 72 feet and runs through the central pointed structure to a 750-pound, bronze-and-brass weather vane. Local artists and craftsmen decorated the interior with carved newel posts, iron gates and lamps that hang from the ceiling. Each of the sixty rooms in the lodge is different, but each boasts watercolors of indigenous wild flowers, hooked rugs, and hand-made fur- niture. As to another claim to fame, Timberline holds a strange fascination for the Hollywood set Movies from "Lost Horizon" to this year's "Hear No Evil" with Martin Sheen and Mar- ley Maitland have been filmed here. And so was Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining," the ter- rifying Stephen. King tale in which the ax-wieldingJack Nicholson stalks the corridors and boxwood gardens in search of his wife and young son. Not the savviest image making, per- haps, but memorable. Evidently, no one's worried that even the scariest of stories will throw a pall over Timberline's success. RESERVATION INFORMATION: Timberline Lodge, 71mberline, Oregon 97028, phone 503-272-33 11/ reservations 800-547-1406. Regular rooms from $90 to $ 150, double occu- pancy, per night. Bunk-style chalets with shared bathrooms begin at $52. Rooms with a fire- place begin at $140. continued on page 30 STYLE • SUMMER 1993 • 27