Just before the viewpoint, the trail enters the Mt. Hood wilderness. It occurs to me that a lot of people who read these writings don't really know what a "wilderness" designation really means. In 1964, the US Wilderness Act was passed. This allowed the designation of certain areas of public lands to be official "wilderness areas". Wilderness areas are intended to be left to be ruled by the laws of nature. Among other things, this means that no motorized vehicles or equipment are allowed in wilderness areas. In a way, it's kind of like stepping back in time - or at least stepping out of the modern world of craziness... which is kind of the idea.