Gary, you gotta have a meal - or at least a hot chocolate - at the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. It's where all the exterior hotel shots were filmed for "The Shining". Lots of flavor to the old place. You can also pick up the PCT right behind the lodge for a nice stroll. Hood is only about an hour east of Portland along the Columbia River Gorge scenic byway - just captivating, with lots of places to stop along the way. Multnomah Falls is worth a stop.
We hiked some at Mt. St. Helens a couple of years ago, but didn't try to get up to the caldera rim. Beautiful area, but be careful if you go up high into the snow - a hiker was killed this year when a snow cornice collapsed near the rim.
Are you going to Visit Crater Lake? That's one of the few national parks still left on our list 'cuz it's really isolated in southern Oregon. We were day-tripping from Sea-Tac, so it was just too far. If you're driving up I-5, you won't be that far away.
Have a great trip!
