MT. Hood lies in a sacred and dynamic expanse of land known as the Cascade Mountains which are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a ring of volcanoes and the adjoining mountains around the Pacific Ocean. It is the highest mountain in Oregon, USA as it's snow covered peak rises to an amazing 11,249 feet and is home to twelve glaciers. It is located about 50 miles (80 km) east-southeast of Portland, Oregon, USA.

There are a number of different versions of Native American legends regarding MT. Hood and the Pacific Ring of Fire's adjoining mountains. Here are a few examples:

Northwest Indians told early explorers about the firey Mount St. Helens. In fact, an Indian name for the mountain, Louwala-Clough, means "smoking mountain". According to one legend, the mountain was once a beautiful maiden, "Loowit". When two sons of the Great Spirit "Sahale" fell in love with her, she could not choose between them. The two braves, Wyeast and Klickitat fought over her, burning villages and forests in the process. Sahale was furious. He smote the three lovers and erected a mighty mountain peak where each fell. Because Loowit was beautiful, her mountain (Mount St. Helens) was a beautiful, symmetrical cone of dazzling white. Wyeast (Mount Hood) lifts his head in pride, but Klickitat (Mount Adams) wept to see the beautiful maiden wrapped in snow, so he bends his head as he gazes on St. Helens.
-- Excerpt from: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Gifford Pinchot National Forest "Mount St. Helens" Broshure, 1980: Government Printing Office GPO 1980 699-331

Native American legends abound with descriptions of the brothers Wy'east (Hood) and Pahto (Adams) battling for the fair La-wa-la-clough (St. Helens). Behaviors attributed to Wy'east include hurtling of hot rocks from gaping holes, sending forth streams of liquid fire, loss of formerly high summits, and choking of valleys with rocks. These are fair descriptions of Mount Hood's reconstructed activity over the past two millennia.
-- Excerpt from: Scott, et.al., 1997, Geologic History of Mount Hood Volcano, Oregon -- A Field-Trip Guidebook: USGS Open-File Report 97-263

About the Bridge of the Gods legend:
The Great Spirit places his sons upon the earth. They were Klickitat in the north and Wyeast in the west. Between them was the Great River which was crossed by a natural bridge. The Great Spirit placed Loo-Wit as the guardian of the bridge. All was peaceful and happy until beautiful Squaw Mountain moved into a valley between Klickitat and Wyeast.

Now both brothers fell in love with Squaw Mountain and soon they began quarreling with each other. At first they argued, growled, and rumbled at each other. They stomped their feet and spat ashes and fire in the air. They belched forth great clouds of black smoke so that the sun was hidden. Then they hurled white-hot rocks. Finally, they threw so many stones onto the Bridge of the Gods and shook the earth so hard that the bridge broke in the middle and fell into the river.

Loo-Wit had tried to stop the fighting. When she could not stop it, she stayed at the bridge and tried to save it, but when it fell, she fell also. The Great Spirit knew of her faithfulness and said that he would grant her one wish. She asked to be young and beautiful. And so we see her today standing young and beautiful as Mt. St. Helens (in Washington). Nearby stands tall Klickitat, whom we know as Mt. Adams, and across the Great River (the Columbia), stands Wyeast, Oregon's Mt. Hood, the most beautiful mountain of all!