Internship to a close

2010-01-29 23:56:36.000 – Andrew Foley and Kyle Itterly,  Plymouth State Intern

Sunset on our last night

As our last night on the summit is drawing to a close we reflect back upon our amazing experience as interns at the summit. We have seen every varying degree of weather we so hoped to see during our 14 day winter internship. From balmy temperatures of 25F with calm winds and unlimited visibility to a peak 104.5mph gust, no visibility and wind chills as low as 70 below. Our first trip came with a strong winter storm that disappointed the observers but fascinated all those new to life on the summit. After 4 days of no visibility we got a glimpse of the beautiful views and even were able to get some hiking in.

Upon our second trip up we were fortunate enough to see one amazing sunset and two gorgeous sunrises. We were able to see the Atlantic Ocean in the gleaming sunlight as well as the lights from Portland, ME, Portsmouth, NH and even Montreal, Canada. Optical phenomena such as fog bows, glories, coronas and even the shadow of Mt. Washington upon the undercast below were just a few of the unique sights we witnessed.

Our third and final trip brought some of the most extreme weather as a sharp, arctic cold front passed over New England. The cold front brought in light snow, strong winds and even more dangerous wind chills. The light snow of 2.5″ brought our monthly total only up to about 18″ compared to the expected total for the month of January of 53″! Though we will not reach our projected snowfall total, we did exceed 100 mph winds for the first time in 2010. Unfortunately Ryan, the night observer, was the only one to experience the 100+ mph winds just past 1 am as the rest of the crew was fast asleep.

It was not just amazing weather that we have experienced during our stay up here, but also the wonderful people that make the summit such a magnificent place. The observers showed us what work goes on from a day to day basis and also how to enjoy ourselves while doing it. The volunteers kept an elevated atmosphere after the work was done and always made spectacular food which far exceeded our expectations as college students. Also the quarterly interns, Drew and Nick, who are just as new to this as us, were a pleasure to get acquainted with. We would like to thank everyone who has made this internship a once in a lifetime experience.

Andrew Foley and Kyle Itterly,  Plymouth State Intern