Helicopter Visit

2012-01-19 19:03:21.000 – Rebecca Scholand,  Operations Assistant

Helicopter visiting the summit

After a blustery day on the summit yesterday where our peak wind gust was 129 mph today proved to be the opposite. With winds below 20 mph when we arrived on the summit for our delayed shift change we were presently presented with 130 mile visibility and a clear sky. Although I love the days you can’t see 20 feet in front of you and the winds are ramping up and gusting I do enjoy a scenic ride up the Mount Washington Auto Road in our Bombardier Snow Tractor. With the clear views you could peer down into the Great Gulf and appreciate prominence of the mountain.

We were not the only ones enjoying the beautiful day on the summit. I was told by the down going shift the fox had made an appearance earlier in the day. Various hikers reached the summit and took in the views, but the most uncommon visitor was by a helicopter. The White Mountains are usually not the most inviting locations for aircraft however, today was an exception. Chances are they were practicing landing and navigation for search and rescue. Never the less it was still a fascinating sight to see.

Rebecca Scholand,  Operations Assistant