From Texas to New Hampshire

2021-09-28 03:30:42.000 – Adam Muhith, Summit Intern

Howdy, y’all! My name is Adam Muhith and I am proud to be one of the new interns for the Fall 2021 season. I recently graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in environmental engineering, and I am so excited to begin my career in environmental research up here. I can’t think of a better place to do it.

I’m from Houston, Texas, and this will be the first time I’ve ever spent a fall and winter out of state. I’m so excited to be here!  In just one week so far, I’ve been able to have an experience so unlike anything else. It’s cold already, the wind is stronger than anything I’ve ever seen, and the view of Mounts Clay, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison from the Observatory window take my breath away every time I look out (in the few moments we’ve had while not surrounded by fog). Yesterday we got a bit of a clearing, so I decided to take a quick hike while we had some spare time. It was a good hike, but I should’ve realized how challenging it would be to hike in winds that gusted up to 60 mph!

But it’s not all a brand-new experience for me. My grandparents live here in New Hampshire, so I’ve been incredibly lucky to have spent nearly every summer of my life up here in the Granite State. I owe all of my thanks to my grandfather, who, for longer than I can remember, has encouraged a love of the outdoors and hiking to me and really provide me the necessary knowledge and know-how to thrive in a camping setting. I’ve also worked at a summer camp for a while, and easily my favorite thing to do there is to lead camping trips. Our marquee trip is a three-day hike on Mount Washington and down the southern presidentials. I’ve spent countless hours trekking away on the Great Gulf Path, Crawford Path, a little time on Gulfside and Nelson Crag, but have yet to hit Tuckerman and Lion Head – I’m beyond determined to get to those soon. In my tenure as a hiker, I’ve hit all the presidential peaks except for Mount Madison, and getting to look out at the peak every time the fog clears does nothing more than make me want to spend every waking hour up here.

I’m not just a hiker though. If it can be made into a camping trip, I’m right there. Climbing, canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding – if it’s outdoors, I’ve gone on that trip, I’ve led that trip as a guide, and I’ll be doing it again next summer.

As my first week ends, I’m so excited to see what else Mount Washington has in store. So far, I’ve learned how to take a weather observation, helped change out precipitation cans, measured wind charts, given out weather reports to the AMC huts, assisted in the Extreme Mount Washington Museum, and helped the other observers up here with their daily work. Looking forward to this season, I’m super excited to get to experience some more extreme weather, and to hopefully assist with the other research projects happening up here. It’s going to be a great season.

Adam Muhith, Summit Intern