Saying Goodbye to the Summit

By Anna Trujillo

It’s hard to believe that my time on the summit is already coming to an end. Over the past several months I have learned so much as a forecaster, researcher, and scientist, all while getting to live in one of the most unique environments. Starting out in January meant that the summit was covered in some combination of snow, ice, and rime for almost the entirety of my internship. Far from being a drawback, this scenery was one of my favorite aspects of being on Mount Washington. The winter landscape made the summit feel otherworldly, and living in such a usually inhospitable environment allowed me to appreciate the beauty of winter in a singular way. Plus, I definitely developed some muscles from the copious amounts of shoveling there was to do.

Several winter scenes from the summit.

Another great part about being up here was the amazing sunrises and sunsets. Shorter days in the winter months meant that my morning work schedule often allowed me to watch the sun come up. I am lucky enough to say that I was watching more sunrises than I ever have in my life, and some of them were truly spectacular.

Several sunrises/sunsets seen from the Observatory.

Over the past three months, I have learned so much about forecasting and meteorology. Coming from a broader earth science background, it was so much fun to dive into the singularities and nuances that make weather on Mount Washington so extreme. From the morning hut call to writing the higher summits forecast, this experience has provided me with a skillset for forecasting and beyond.

I’m also lucky to have gotten to work on a research project during my time with the observatory, centered on formulating a climate index to accurately determine how optimal a certain day is for backcountry skiing based on meteorological and snow conditions. The resulting index captures significant ski quality evolution related to new snowfall, and performs relatively well when related to real-world snow and ski quality observations. With additional refinement, this index framework could provide a valuable tool for evaluating long term trends, changing conditions, and risk factors for backcountry ski quality and human recreational experience. Naturally, I had to do some backcountry skiing of my own around the mountain, for research purposes of course (shout out to my fellow intern Ryan T for being my guide).

Photos from several skiing adventures this winter.

Lastly, I’d like to thank Alex, Ryan H, Ryan K, and Ryan T (yes, there were 3 Ryan’s) for being an amazing shift. They made living and working on the summit such a great experience, and I feel very lucky to have gotten to know them and learn from them. Of course, I have to thank Nimbus as well for being a great summit companion, and for using me as a personal pillow on many occasions. I had a fantastic winter up here on the summit, and hope to visit again soon!

Lazy Nimbus.