Thank you! 2013-05-01 20:35:43.000 - Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer NULL First and foremost, thank you! Our year-end fundraising campaign was a success, raising more than $35,000 through over 400 individual donations. With over 80 years of history on the summit, if it weren't for our generous members and donors, we simply would not be able to exist up here. Whether you're an annual donor or just a fan of the observatory, thank you for supporting us.Shift change today went relatively smoothly. It was the first time since the fall that we were able to take our four wheel drive van,

Volunteer Week 2013-04-30 14:52:45.000 - Steve Hill,  Summit Volunteer Skiing in the Snowfields This, like all my shifts as a Summit Volunteer, started with an early morning drive from Waterbury Center, Vermont, to the Auto Road base. From there things started to change as I met new staff and my volunteer partner, Neil. We loaded our gear and this week's food into the van and pickup truck. This trip up the Auto Road was in two phases, 1st we drove the van as far as the Horn near the 4,000 foot level, where the snow tractor was parked. We transferred

In-Between Season 2013-04-29 16:35:31.000 - Neil Lovett,  Summit Volunteer Melting Ice Simplicity is sort of a lost art these days. I am fortunate to be on The Rock Pile this time of year. I have gotten a unique opportunity to watch what can be the harshest of all winters on this planet morph into a gentler, more forgiving spring. While here this week, I've listened as ice turned to frigid water and cold snows disappear.Replacing the snow and ice is budding life, the birth of Spring, so complicated, yet so simple if you try not to understand why it happens,

In The Blink Of An Eye 2013-04-28 18:18:11.000 - Michael Kyle,  Summit Intern NULL I decide to take advantage of the beautiful weather yesterday and hike to Mount Jefferson. I left early in the morning and when I returned that afternoon, I found a different Mountain Washington. As Observer Rebecca mentioned yesterday, the summit of Mount Washington has preliminarily begun its summer 2013 season (however, it should be noted that the Sherman Adams building isn't 100% open quite yet). As the days continue to get longer and the weather nicer, more and more people are making their way up to

'Summer' is Here 2013-04-27 16:43:05.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL 'Summer' has arrived on the summit. Not in the meteorological or astronomical sense, but in how our summit is managed. For the first time this 'summer' season, the Mount Washington Cog Railway ran two passenger trains to the summit today. Walking out onto the observation deck I was greeted with hikers and tourists; something that hasn't happened since November. With this changing of the season, a few other things changed today. For one, Marty is now wearing his ID tags around his neck to let people know his

Spring Is In The Air 2013-04-26 10:48:23.000 - Marty,  Summit Cat Marty Enjoying The Spring Weather A big hearty meow from your favorite summit cat Marty! After a long winter spring seems to be making its way back to the summit of Mount Washington. The observers have been saying that the Mount Washington Auto Road has been working hard to clear the snow off the road so they can open soon and the Cog Railway is planning on opening this weekend. Before we know it all summit entities, the Auto Road , Cog Railway , and the Sherman Adams building

Change 2013-04-25 17:24:48.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Change Over a Week What a difference a week can make on the summit. When I arrived yesterday, the summit was a whole new world. The snow pack had dramatically decreased and the temperatures had risen into the forties. Winds were calm and visibility was ninety miles proving to be a beautiful day. As I have been saying in my past comments, I am excited to have spring on the way. The early summer hiking season will soon be upon us and it will be important to be prepared. As temperatures

"Perfect" Weather Day 2013-04-24 23:43:36.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist A view from today. Everybody has their own opinion as to what it means to have "perfect" weather. To a farmer dependent on rain, a rainy day may be perfect. For fans of the beach, it might be a sunny day with temperatures in the 90's. For an ice climber, cold and icy is what they would find ideal. For a sailor, an ideal day would have stiff enough winds to move their boat at a good pace with minimal choppiness. And for some, like myself, today could be classified

Wild Week of Weather 2013-04-23 11:26:09.000 - Tom Padham,  Summit Intern Clouds building in this morning It certainly has been an interesting and busy week on the summit for my first shift, with plenty of weather to go around. Out of the past 6 days we've spent on the summit, only a single day (Monday) saw no fog or precipitation. Measurable precipitation fell on 4 out of the past 6 days, with 3 out of those 4 days containing freezing rain or snow. Winds were also gusty almost all week, with only Monday not seeing a gust above hurricane force

Back-and-Forth Weather 2013-04-22 10:10:30.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist NULL This shift's weather has certainly proven to be all over the place.As if Mt. Washington would have it any differently in April, we've run the gamut in the type of things we've experienced this week.Upon arrival on Wednesday, the summit was socked in the fog, with gusty northwest winds, and temperatures in the 20s. Later in the day, fog cleared, revealing mostly sunny skies with slackening winds.On Thursday, winds shifted around to the southwest as a warm front approached, which sent temperatures soaring into the 30s. Overnight, the mercury continued