My 5th Volunteer Trip!

2019-02-01 13:32:18.000 – Jeffrey Swanson, Summit Volunteer

This year marked my fifth volunteer trip to the MWObs weather station on the summit of Mt Washington. I have always enjoyed these trips, with each one offering a different perspective. This trip our team was locked in the clouds with wind, rain, and snow. We achieved clearing on Monday that offered our first opportunity for photographs!

A significant part of what volunteers do here is to prepare meals for the summit teams and the visiting day and overnight trips to the observatory. This years hiking groups had many tales to tell about their trip up this past week, along with other adventures all over the world. Many of the hikers believe that the New England area offers a great deal of challenge for climbers to experience, without the commercial/tourist conditions they have experienced in the western part of our country. The white out conditions and variable winds are all about the challenge that they seek in there climbing. It was great to meet them all.
Unfortunately, our volunteer trip this year will be shortened by 1 day in order to accomplish shift change ahead of the forecasted storm the summit. As always, adapting to the weather conditions, relative to schedule is a common challenge here on the summit.

I again thank The Mount Washington Observatory for another opportunity to experience “The Home of the Worlds Worst Weather”. I loved getting to meet some very interesting people, and had a bit of fun cooking too!

Jeffrey Swanson
Summit Volunteer
Ann Arbor Michigan

Jeffrey Swanson, Summit Volunteer