stormy weather

2009-02-19 17:25:20.000 – Stacey Kawecki,  Observer

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The calm before the storm.

It is a simple phrase, and possibly over-used. It can allude to the obvious application, the weather. It can also lend itself to more complex themes involving action-packed thriller movies or tear-jerking dramas. Today we are going to take it at face value with a twist. Up on the summit, we are literally enjoying the calm during the storm.

There’s something completely wonderful about being outside on the summit when winds are nearly non-existent, the temperature is a balmy twenty degrees, and it’s snowing. First of all, the snow falls vertically, not horizontally. Secondly, it is so quiet you can hear the snowflakes landing on your coat. You can hear them whispering to each other as they fall upon the ground. It’s tranquil and quiet, almost eerily so. That is until everyone decides it would be a great idea to make snow angels, frolic, and have snow ball fights. Then it is boisterously noisy and fun.

Of course fog enveloped the summit soon after the other shift departed, and will most likely remain on the summit through Tuesday. Also, tomorrow the wind will pick up and take a lot of that beautiful deep snow and dump it unceremoniously into the Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines. And so the vicious cycle continues, much to the delight of skiers. Snow falls on the summit and then blows into the ravines; it is a time-honored tradition that New England weather will not soon forget.

Stacey Kawecki,  Observer