Observer Comments

16:57 Fri Jul 3rd

'And we're back in the fog.' This has been said quite a bit today, which in a way is a good sign. To be back in the fog is to imply there was a break from the fog. Besides that, there hasn't been a drop of precipitation today. At this point, a day with sunshine and no rain may as well be a success. In a few hours, this fog may light up with the approach of a band of lightning. Talking with Ryan today, he saw continuous lightning over Maine last night, in the scope of 30 flashes a minute! Too bad it wasn't a bit clearer so he could get a picture.

There's not a lot that will keep me from going outside, but lightning is definitely one of those things. With that in mind, I'll have to do something inside. Denis, last summer's teacher extern, is this week's volunteer so it will be nice to visit with him again. He has already made his renowned homemade bagels and some awesome pizza! Chances are good I will sit down with the guitar or harmonica at some time tonight and play away for a time. Of course, there are always books to read or things to write. My good friend, Nich, just lent me a book called Zen Guitar. It is an interesting read and as one might expect, more a book on life than on how to learn to play the guitar. Sometimes it is nice to just sit around and watch a movie and with Ryan having a subscription to NetFlix, there are certainly plenty of new movies to choose from. In any case, there is plenty to do up here inside as well.

Mike Finnegan – IT Observer

16:18 Fri Jul 3rd

No snow left in Airplane Gully

This afternoon saw an unexpected break in the fog that has engulfed the summit for the majority of the past week. This, along with seasonable temperatures in the upper forties and relatively calm winds made for a good chance to get outside for a little bit.

My short hike down to the Great Gulf Headwall had another purpose as well. I wanted to see if there was any snow left for some July skiing. Just slightly less than a month ago, Mike Finnegan and I found plenty of snow left in both Airplane Gully and Turkey Chute on the headwall. However, we have seen a lot of fog and rain between now and then, both of which tend to make snow disappear very quickly. This made me less than optimistic as I made my way down the Gulfside Trail, enough so that I didn't even take my ski equipment with me.

I found exactly what I expected once I got down there, bare rock and alpine vegetation, neither of which are any good for skiing. There were a couple of small patches of snow left at the base of the headwall, but not worth the hiking and bushwaking it would take to get to the 4 or 5 turns they would provide. It was nice to get outside though and I even got to see some sunshine! The sad part is that this officially ends the 2008-2009 ski season for me. It was another great one with a ton of days on snow on and off the mountain (at least 70-80). Here's hoping that the next few months go by quickly so that the 2009-2010 season can get started!

Brian Clark – Observer and Meteorologist

16:38 Thu Jul 2nd

For some time now the view out of the observatory window has only revealed the surrounding lichen covered boulders. If we are lucky the fog will clear for seconds at a time, reassuring us that the landscape does in fact continue past the borders we have become so accustomed to. I thought I would take some time to refresh all of our memories as to what that landscape is...!

When one imagines a tundra biome, their mind often takes them to places like Alaska's Arctic Tundra, or Greenland. Rarely do people consider places such as New Hampshire. However, Alpine Tundra (high-altitude tundra) can form on mountains that otherwise may not necessarily be considered "alpine." The word "Tundra" comes from the Finnish word tunturi, for "treeless heights." Tundra is often classified by its baron landscape, low temperatures and limited vegetation, much like the summit of Mount Washington. At first glance the mountain's summit appears as a glacially scared peak left as a pile of boulders. All it takes is a single summer hike around the summit to observe the numerous and intricate, low lying flowers, grasses and lichens that grow along trail edges and in between rocks. The Alpine Tundra of the White Mountains is one of the largest tundra in the Eastern United States. "Fragile," is a word commonly used to describe most vegetation growing in this area. To many this word usage seems rather ironic, for how is anything able to live in such harsh conditions dubbed weak or fragile? Vegetation in this area is exposed to low temperatures, high precipitation, heavy cloud cover and high winds, the fastest summer wind speed recorded being 174 mph!

Once the fog clears I am looking forward to a hike down to the Alpine Garden to see which "fragile" flowers remain in bloom after this stretch of unpleasant weather.

Hedda Peterson – Summit Intern

07:36 Wed Jul 1st

View from Mt. Clay

Random thoughts on the past week from a first time volunteer:

1.Room With a View. My first surprise was waking up Thursday morning at 3:15 am (that's 4:15 for those of you on daylight savings time, EST). The sky was red from the rising sun, and from the top bunk in the rather spartan sleeping quarters of the Observatory, Mount Clay and Mount Jefferson loomed large right outside my window. Fantastic!

2.Undercast. On Thursday, I rose early like a kid on Christmas Day, and ran outside. At 7:00 am there is auto road traffic not Cog rail patrons, it is the best way to experience Mount Washington, I would encourage anyone who can to volunteer. There was an undercast- the valley below was blanked in white clouds, while we had blue skies overhead - the mountains stuck out of the clouds like mysterious islands in a archipelago. Awesome!

3.Weather Nerds. We are all interested in the weather, but the staff at the Observatory are truly dedicated to the study of violent weather. They were visibly disappointed on Friday because an expected violent storm passed 30 miles to our south and missed us. To some it may seem a little like a NASCAR fan that's waiting for car crash. But they are testing new equipment and processes to enable more accurate forecasts of violent storms- as a hiker partial to fair weather excursions with lots of views, I fully support that goal!

4.The Ant Hill. Saturday by far was the most interesting day. In the morning, standing on the Observation Deck, you can see several of the trails snaking their way from Mount Washington over the horizon from several directions. On each trail there were groups of 5 or 6 hikers walking in single file like a group of army ants.

5.As Yogi Berra once said, "you can observe a lot by just watching". Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm, just as expected, it started to rain and thunder. I stood in the corner of the snack bar rotunda to watch the reaction- It was like being in Grand Central Station. I've never seen the rotunda so crowded! Every chair was filled, and people were anxious- some were unnerved by their trip up the auto road, or the Cog railroad, hikers were shaken by the rough trails at the end of the hike, some hikers were trying to arrange for trip down on the Stage Coach Auto Road or the Cog railroad. It was a diverse group- I heard at least 4 different languages, some hikers arrived shirtless and undaunted, some slowly prepared to leave the building and had no intention of letting the rain stop them. A few hours later, the storm ended- only 3/10ths of an inch of rain fell, and everyone seemed to survive their ordeal on Mount Washington.

6.Mini-Cooper Sunset on Mount Washington. An unusual Sunset Trip was also held on Saturday night for about 200 enthusiasts, which also made Saturday special. There were still clouds in the area, but the sun made some dramatic appearances around 8:00 pm, so I think no one was disappointed!

7.Come to Mount Washington. The typical forecast for Mount Washington lately seems to be "in and out of the clouds, under cloudy skies, tending towards rain showers", but this hardly seems to do it justice. Even on these days you are apt to get beautiful sunrises, awesome cloud formations and movement, and spectacular sunrises- if you come here often enough you'll experience all it has to offer!

8.Got more than I gave. As with most volunteer experiences, I got more than I gave from my time on Mount Washington. The staff enthusiastically ate my meager attempts at cuisine, and in return I met some terrific people, had some of the most memorable mornings and evenings at the Observatory, and took some spectacular hikes through the Alpine Garden and to Mount Clay along the Great Gulf. I'll be back!

Tim Ryan – Summit Volunteer