Departure

2008-06-13 10:56:25.000 – Kyle Paddleford,  Observer

As Stacey alluded to in her comment yesterday, change is in the air at the Observatory. More tourists are frequenting the summit, alpine flowers are blooming at certain elevations, and the sedge is transitioning from brown to green. Those are all changes that are expected as the calendar pages quickly turn. When I told Mike Finnegan the news a few weeks ago he was definitely surprised judging by the look on his face. This may in fact be the most surprised look I have ever seen in my life. The news for all of you who do not know is that today is my last day at the Mount Washington Observatory. Summing up all of my experiences at the summit would take up more than just a few pages in a book but for this comment I would rather keep it to a few descriptors: challenging, rewarding, unique, beautiful, cold, windy, and last but not least, fun.

I would like to thank all of you who support the Observatory and make what we do possible, and, a bit more selfishly, my experience. Many of you I have met during Seek the Peak, overnight educational trips, on the obs deck during the summer months, and while donating your time volunteering on the summit. The people are what make it the hardest to leave, both the new faces and fellow employees.

I will be pulling off the famous disappearing act from the area come Tuesday and will hopefully reappear a week later farther north and on the waters off the coast of state number 49. I am really excited to start this adventure and live in yet another region of the US. It was an opportunity I could not pass up. The best part is that I will still be observing the weather.

Bye

Kyle Paddleford,  Observer