Under Pressure 2012-08-21 18:22:35.000 - Cyrena Briede,  Director of Summit Operations NULL If you read the forecast (available HERE) you will see the term "high pressure" mentioned when talking about the weather we are experiencing right now and will see for a few days to come. But what does exactly does "high pressure" mean?High pressure means that relative to the surrounding air in the region, the pressure of the air at that location is higher, it weighs more. Areas of high pressure are often associated with clearer sunnier skies, and there are reasons why this is generally true. High pressure

It not to late to visit the Summit 2012-08-20 23:09:30.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist NULL The last few days on the Summit have been exceptional with warm weather and low winds. While doing Observations the last couple days I've had the chance to talk briefly to some of the guests on the deck and tell them a little about what we do. During one of my afternoon Observations a family stopped me to say hi and say they were in the audience for a Live From the Rock Piles I did the day before. I also meet a

Finding that Perfect Balance 2012-08-19 22:15:38.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Balanced rocks at sunset today! While out for a walk around sunset today, I came across an interesting sight along the western edge of the summit cone. There were these perfectly stacked rocks, one on top of the other, with their center points just where they needed to be to find their natural balance to counteract the forces acting against them. It was pretty neat to see, especially given that it is not something you see every day up here - usually because wind is your enemy when building

A cat, a wedding, and a view. 2012-08-18 18:26:33.000 - Stephen Lanciani,  Summit Intern 6,288' Wedding Describing my first week as a summit intern is slightly difficult, especially to those who may not love the weather as much as I do. To make this easier, imagine your dream job, put it in the most beautiful and unique place you can think of, then add 6,288' of elevation and a cat. Yes, the greatly beloved Marty. Having just graduated with my B.S. degree in meteorology, you can understand how awesome this job is to me. I have all this knowledge fresh

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes 2012-08-17 23:24:33.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist The rapidly changing sky from this morning. Changes have been and are occurring internally and externally here on the summit this summer and in the coming months. If you follow these Observer Comments regularly, you may have read Mike Carmon's Comment last Wednesday (August 8) about some of the internal personnel changes that are occurring here on the summit. With the departure of some employees, we are spending time training and welcoming the new employees these past few weeks and in the months to come. I'm not going to run down all

Volunteer Reflections 2012-08-17 00:21:51.000 - Pat Gross,  Summit Volunteer One image of over 400 taken. The unlikely path that led me to this summit volunteer week began last summer as I was driving through New Hampshire and, being from Maine, stopped at a NH liquor store. Finding my way into the gift shop, I picked up the book Life at the Top and the nice lady behind the counter asked me if I'd ever heard about all the stuff that happened at the top of Mt Washington. 'Check out the website,' she said. That one comment led to a spectacular

Volunteer Thoughts 2012-08-15 14:47:04.000 - Peter Fisk,  Summit Volunteer NULL When I tell people that I'll be spending a week at The Weather Observatory atop Mount Washington their reactions range from 'where?' to 'wow!'. Both groups would have enjoyed sharing the past week here with me. If you've ever considered being a summit volunteer I offer the following for your consideration: several hikes featuring spectacular views and serious exercise, sunrises and sunsets like you've never seen, gobs of comfort food, a vacation from life's normal routine, quality conversation, some new faces, and a unique crow's nest from which to view

Hiking to Spaulding Lake 2012-08-13 12:23:45.000 - Steve Harshman,  Summit Intern Adams and Madison from the Lake This being my last week on the summit, I figured I needed something great to end on. Earlier this summer I attempted a hike down into the Great Gulf to Spaulding Lake. Anyone who's been through here knows this is no easy task. The headwall is practically a sheer cliff, with an elevation change of almost 2000 feet in about a mile. While I made it down the majority of the trail alright--creating my fair share of rockslides along the way--I quickly ran

First to Last 2012-08-12 17:08:30.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL This week has consisted of a few firsts and lasts. I began my week here on the summit with firsts. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I was officially introduced to our new Director of Summit Operations Cyrena-Marie Briede and our new Director of Research Eric Kelsey. It is not that I had not 'met' them before, but this was our first real interaction with them on the summit. Both spent two nights with us to get a better understanding of summit life as they transition into their new positions.

The Final 2012-08-11 17:27:56.000 - Emanuel Janisch,  Summit Intern Cap Clouds over the Northern Presidentials The reality that my days as an intern here on the summit are numbered, are a sad thought. As I sit here reflecting on the experiences that the observatory has provided me I can only come up with one bad thing and that is that we really only got one good thunderstorm while I was on summit, however the lightning show that lasted for hours made up for the lack of storms the rest of the summer.Not only are the experiences and knowledge I gained