High Mountain Haircut

2010-01-12 18:25:49.000 – Drew Hill,  Summit Intern

Artist, Marion, works her magic.

I woke up this morning to Observer Steve Welsh’s voice looping in my head: ”Get a haircut, you hippie.”

It had been eight months since I last cut my hair, and, well, it was about time… or at least that’s what my parents (and shift leader) had been telling me. Truth be told, the hair-in-the-eye thing kind of gets old– no matter how dashingly rugged it makes me look (hah!). So, this morning, I solicited Observatory volunteer Marion Lake (you may have heard of her) for a trim. Marion’s most notable feat during this 60-minute long haircut was, without a doubt, her delicate removal of my three inch mullet with children’s scissors. Marion, you ought to be a professional hairstylist.

The rest of the week has been equally productive. On Saturday, our crew was greeted by the EduTrip mentioned in Aubrie’s January 9th comment. This was my first experience with an EduTrip. I was impressed, to say the least. The students were friendly, interesting, and eager to learn. A few of us even went for a hike to the Great Gulf headwall in 40 mph winds and near-zero temperatures. They were rugged. The EduTrip curriculum caught me off guard, as well. I’m not sure why, but I’ve always thought of an EduTrip as a simple meet-and-greet overnight on the summit. This is not the case. In fact, there’s much more to it. Observers, volunteers, and the EduTrip leaders went out of their way last weekend to make sure that the students came away from their summit experience with a firm understanding of what goes on up here. Steve and Mike demonstrated their methods of weather observation; Stacey took students on in-depth guided tours of the living quarters, museum, and observation room; Dave, the Edu Trip head honcho, led several climate-based studies and discussions; Aubrie, past intern and second in command of the EduTrip, took students around the observation deck and summit grounds; and Al and Marion, our beloved volunteers, prepared a social mixer replete with crackers, wine and cheese. Suffice it to say, I will be looking forward to these EduTrips as my stint here on the Rockpile continues.

In line with today’s theme of ”productivity,” I should note that my first ObsCast debuted yesterday morning. What a fun experience! It’s corny, but filming this week’s ObsCast has really helped me feel more at home up here. The Observatory crew showed their support during what would have, otherwise, been a pretty stressful undertaking. Especially Aubrie, who spent a lot of time showing me the ropes and kicking my– how does Steve put this?– derriere at Rockband and Wii Rodeo.

I find myself falling more in love with this mountain everyday– which, after four amazing summers of working in its shadow, really says something.

Drew Hill,  Summit Intern