26th Annual Seek the Peak Recap By Drew Bush Members of the "Peak Potential" team gather at Pinkham Notch before hiking Mount Washington for the 26th Annual Seek the Peak. View more images. We’ve had another incredibly successful Seek the Peak event this past July. Mount Washington Observatory’s 26th Annual Seek the Peak soared past its goal of $260,000, raising more than $293,000 thanks to the tireless efforts of 592 hikers. An inspiring 242 hikers joined us for the first time. We couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who took part for helping us to accomplish this incredible outcome. Your

Seek the Peak Spotlight: The Cloud Chasers By MWOBS Staff Mike Bergeron and Desiree Bolton have been participating and volunteering for Seek the Peak for three years now. Together, they comprise Team Cloud Chasers for the Observatory’s annual fundraiser, and you can count on them to deliver smiles and positivity both on the trail and under the event tent. We recently connected with Mike and Desiree to see what sparked their interest in the Observatory. “We both have always loved experiencing weather and the study of,” shared Mike. “It was the -109 event that opened the door for our

Seek the Peak Spotlight: Ryan Shepard By MWOBS Staff Before Ryan Shepard moved to Conway, he was in Western New York celebrating his 40th birthday party. “I wanted to go big,” he said. “Big” meant setting up a fundraiser for a local pitbull rescue foundation. He booked a restaurant and music venue, lined up three breweries and two distilleries, organized a silent auction and walked away having raised over $1,300. Not your typical 40th birthday bash, but Shepard was spending the day doing what he loves. That was four years ago. Soon after, Shepard moved to Conway to take

From Florida Heat to the Rockpile By Alek Libby Hi everyone! My name is Alek Libby, and I am one of the summit interns here at Mount Washington Observatory this summer! I recently graduated from Florida State University with a B.S. in Meteorology, and after spending the past several years in Florida, living on the summit has been a pretty dramatic change for me. I am originally from Minnesota, but I moved to Florida when I was 11. Even after years of heat, humidity, and sweating immediately after walking outside, I have always preferred colder weather. Also, I have

Summit Summer By Aspen M. Hello everyone! My name is Aspen, I’m one of the summer weather interns here at the Mount Washington Observatory. I fell in love with weather at a young age after I watched a hailstorm decimate my mom’s vegetable garden. Such a simple yet tragic event really set off my infatuation with learning how the world works in quite a literal sense. Five-year-old me would be in awe seeing that I became a meteorologist and now pursue what I truly love. It feels like a dream getting to work at the location of some of

From the Sunshine State to the Home of the World's Weather By Kristen Mihalcik Hello Everyone! My name is Kristen Mihalcik, and I’m one of the Summer interns here at Mount Washington. Enjoying one of many sunsets on the summit. Just a little bit about myself: I spent the first 18 years of my life in Connecticut, but migrated South to Florida, where I spent the next four years of my life attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach. One of my proudest accomplishments thus far was graduating in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Science in

The Precip Can: Measuring Rain, Snow, and Everything Else on Mount Washington By MWOBS Staff Averaging 281 inches of snow per year, the Observatory is no stranger to measuring precipitation. While it might be easy to measure rain or snow at home, collecting official precipitation measurements at the Home of the World’s Worst Weather can be more difficult. At the summit, the Observatory uses a precipitation can to collect the water falling from the sky. The precipitation can is a large metal bucket which rain, snow, and other precipitation types can fall into. The can sits in an open

Meet MWOBS’ 2026 Seek the Peak Teams By MWOBS Staff Another year, another epic Seek the Peak! As of June 2026, there are 430 hikers signed up for Mount Washington Observatory's annual summer fundraiser and 54 teams, an incredible accomplishment for the Observatory community. This year, in keeping with tradition, the staff at Mount Washington Observatory have created their own fundraising teams, embarking on some friendly competition. Meet the teams below, and, if you’re feeling in the spirit, we invite you to make a donation to their team to show your support (in June 2026, all gifts up to $20,000