We can neither change our past, nor predict our future. So I’ll stop dwelling and speak to y’all about my current circumstances. When I first arrived in Conway, NH, I decided to take a drive through White Mountain National Forest to scope out my “workplace,” and I had one initial thought…. “Holyyy terrain.” The summit of Mount Washington was covered in fog and it loomed over the landscape. The other mountains around it, jutting from the Earth, towered over my relatively tiny Nissan Altima. A part of me was scared, yet excited and curious. It was a new adventure for me, and that’s one thing I’m always up for. I’ve flown Cessnas, spent a summer in Miami interning for the National Hurricane Center, and solo traveled. Yet, nothing scared me more than these mountains. It wasn’t like my first day calmed my nerves either. Best way I can describe it? It was like a cut scene from a video game. Let me paint a picture: as we drove up the Auto Road, the fog started crowding around the van; soon the alpine zone emerged. The visibility worsened and I could only see the low-growing moss, rocks, and patches of snow only a few feet outside of the van. Once we arrived at the summit, the van door slid open and I was greeted with 95 mph winds. The downbound shift was waiting quietly (although not much could be heard with the howling winds) for us to start throwing our stuff onto carts to be rolled to our living quarters. It was definitely a little disorienting at first, meeting the mountain when it was encased in its infamous summit fog. However, I’ve become much more familiar with the Presidential Range and the beauty it has to offer.

Since that first day, I’ve (slowly) eased into summit living and am thankful every day for such a unique experience. Also, I’d like to touch upon my research topic: I’m looking at the relationship between Atmospheric Rivers (a large “river in the sky” that carries large quantities of water vapor from the tropics) and the Madden-Julian Oscillation (a massive eastward moving disturbance of clouds and rain that originates in the Indian Ocean) and seeing if they affect precipitation amounts here in Northern New England. I spend most of my day forecasting, giving tours, eating the amazing desserts the wonderful volunteers make, doing research, pondering, laughing with my fellow coworkers, and annoying Nimbus (there’s a lot to do around here in just a singular day). On my off week, I enjoy turning my brain off, going on hikes and exploring as much as possible!

It was so incredibly wonderful introducing myself to you all, and this won’t be the last you hear from me!