Looking for Tomorrow

2010-05-10 17:53:03.000 – Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer

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Today hasn’t been a terribly interesting day on the mountain as far as weather is concerned. Winds have held fairly steady in the 40-60 mph range and temperatures have slowly climbed from around 10 degrees F to the mid teens. For a few hours it looked like it wanted to clear, but it was only teasing us as we stayed in the fog the entire day. High pressure should be building in however and will clear the summits tonight and remain so through tomorrow, giving us a chance to see something other than gray fog. With winds also forcast to drop and temperatures looking to increase, I might have to take a gander at the east snow fields and see if there is anything left to be had. Of course, it is important to assess the snow conditions as the old surface which is likely safer to ski and ride upon may be very hard and the newly deposited wind blown snow may have pockets of instability. I can assure you I will be bringing an ice ax and crampons when I head out. I suggest doing the same for anyone heading up into the ravine or to the summit via Lion’s Head and would urge folks to continue to check the avalanche forecast at www.tuckerman.org for current conditions and thoughts concerning safe travel. After tomorrow it looks like a return to fog and cold however with some snow thrown in there for good measure. It is certainly an interesting time of the year to be on the mountain. Breaking record highs one week and appraoching record lows the next, while watching spring transform the valley into green liveliness in sudden bursts from week to week. On one hand I miss seeing the daily transitions into spring, but on the other it is very dramatic to be gone for a week and then discover just how much has occurred since you’ve been gone.

Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer