Above is this weeks free desktop.  This week features the tallest mountain in Oregon, the most frequently climbed glaciated peak in North America, and a wonderfully beautiful sight, Mount Hood.  Located 45 miles east-southeast of Portland, OR, Mount Hood is a dormant stratovolcano made of lava flows, domes, and volcaniclastic deposits.  The main cone of Mount Hood formed about 500,000 years ago and during the most recent eruptive period, 200-300 years ago, lava domes collapsed and produced numerous flows which buried the southwest flank of the mountain.  It is of this area of Mount Hood which is the focus in this weeks shot.  In the photo, the smooth snow on the left side of the mountain is the area in which the flows occurred.  If you follow the snow back up to just below the summit, you will notice a couple of bumps of rock sticking out.  When the snow melts a bit, those bumps becomes a prominent rocky pinnacle, Crater Rock, the remnant most recent lava dome.  In the third week of May 2004 when we were there, the snow was still deep enough to pretty much hide this feature.  Mount Hood and the surrounding area is very popular with skiers, hikers, climbers and just about everyone else as there seems to be something for everyone here.