Elevation
Mount Hood was first seen by European explorers in 1792 and is believed to have maintained a consistent summit elevation, varying by no more than a few feet due to mild seismic activity. Elevation changes since the 1950s are predominantly due to improved survey methods and model refinements of the shape of the Earth (see vertical reference datum). Despite the physical consistency, the estimated elevation of Mount Hood has varied substantially over the years.
| Date | Elevation | By |
|---|---|---|
| 1854 | 18,361 ft (5,596 m) | Thomas J. Dryer |
| 1854 | 19,400 ft (5,900 m) | Belden |
| 1857 | 14,000 ft (4,300 m) | Mitchell's School Atlas |
| 1866 | 17,600 ft (5,400 m) | Rev. Atkinson |
| 1867 | 11,225 ft (3,421 m) | Col. Williamson |
| 1916 | 11,253 ft (3,430 m) | Adm. Colbert |
| 1939 | 11,245 ft (3,427 m) | Adm. Colbert |
| 1980 | 11,239 ft (3,426 m) | USGS using NGVD 29 |
| 1991 | 11,249 ft (3,429 m) | NGS using NAVD 88 |
| 1993 | 11,240 ft (3,430 m) | Scientific expedition and 11,239 feet (3,426 m) of slightly older origin. |
| 2008? | 11,235 ft (3,424 m) | Encyclopædia Britannica |
Early explorers on the Columbia River estimated the elevation to be 10,000 to 12,000 feet (3,000 to 3,700 m). Two persons in Thomas J. Dryer's 1854 expedition calculated the elevation to be 18,361 feet (5,596 m) and that the tree line was at about 11,250 feet (3,430 m). Two months later, a Mr. Belden claimed to have climbed the mountain during a hunting trip and determined it to be 19,400 feet (5,900 m) upon which "pores oozed blood, eyes bled, and blood rushed from their ears." Sometime by 1866, Reverend G. H. Atkinson determined it to be 17,600 feet (5,400 m). A Portland engineer used surveying methods from a Portland baseline and calculated a height of between 18,000 and 19,000 feet (5,500 and 5,800 m). Many maps distributed in the late 19th century cited 18,361 feet (5,596 m), though Mitchell's School Atlas gave 14,000 feet (4,300 m) as the correct value. For some time, many references assumed Mount Hood to be the highest point in North America.
Modern height surveys also vary, but not by the huge margins seen in the past. A 1993 survey by a scientific party that arrived at the peak's summit with 16 pounds of electronic equipment reported a height of 11,240 feet (3425.952 m), claimed to be accurate to within 1.25 inches (32 mm). Many modern sources likewise list 11,240 feet (3,430 m) as the height. However, numerous others place the peak's height one foot lower, at 11,239 feet (3,426 m). Finally, a height of 11,249 feet (3,429 m) has also been reported.
Mount Hood's treeline varies from about 5,500 feet (1,700 m), mostly on the western face, to about 7,000 feet (2,100 m), mostly on the eastern side.
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