Marty's Mini Musing 2012-04-26 17:06:38.000 - Marty,  Summit Cat I'm cuddly and I know it. Just saying, is it spring or not? Last week I went outside all the time, it was sunny, not very windy even, and I found lots of good places to take a nap or two outside when I got tired of hiking around the summit. I got into the rhythm pretty quickly. I had to be quick though, the observers weren't going through the usual ritual of putting on all kinds of stuff over their bodies before heading out. They just went out in the

Volunteer Notes After a Fourth Visit 2012-04-25 23:15:48.000 - Lisa Carruthers,  Summit Volunteer Some goodies for the summit crew Today marked the end of my fourth shift volunteering on the Summit and I'm already missing this magical place. No two shifts are alike, but what is common to all of them is the opportunity to understand what the MWO is about, to experience a piece of extreme weather, and to meet some awesome and dedicated staff.People always have one of two reactions when they hear that I volunteer on the summit: 'Why would you want to do that?' or 'Wow,

Observing the Observers 2012-04-24 23:30:21.000 - Mark Carruthers,  Summit Volunteer NULL This is my first time as a volunteer at the summit observatory. Finally able to join my wife on her fourth volunteer shift, I was looking forward to helping out and personally experiencing a taste of the ever changing summit weather that she and many others have described in their comments. I was not disappointed as the conditions through day 6 of my shift have ranged from the comfortable, sunny, clear, and calm with climbers in shorts, to rain, ice, fog, gusts to 96 MPH, and below 0 deg

So long for now. 2012-04-23 15:45:55.000 - Brian Fitzgerald,  Summit Intern Island in the sky. Eight weeks working, living and playing on the summit of Mount Washington as a winter intern is an experience that defies replication. In my eight weeks here I have spent time shoveling never-ending snow and drifts, compiling weather reports, teaching visitors about Mount Washington's unique weather, joined the century club, witnessed 129 mile per hour winds, built snow caves in -70 degree wind chills... the list goes on. To experience some of the worst weather conditions in the world just outside of my doorstep on

Earth Day 2012-04-22 17:14:58.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Undercast & Overcast Today is Earth Day!Earth Day originated back in 1970, when a senator from Wisconsin proposed a 'national teach-in on the environment' after bearing witness to an oil spill in Santa Barbara, CA in 1969.On that first Earth Day back on April 22, 1970, an estimated 20 million Americans filled public streets and other venues to demonstrate for a stronger and more sustainable environment. The movement continued to grow from that day forward, until 1990, when it began to grow roots internationally.On April 22, 1990, Earth Day brought out

End of Winter Trip Season 2012-04-21 17:12:03.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist NULL Well the winter trip season is coming to an end. The last of our trips arrived tonight and will conclude all EduTrips, DayTrips, and Climbing Trips until this summer. The last Climbing Trip arrived just as the rain was starting to fall on the summit. Looking back on the season we saw quite a few trips visiting, 27 to be exact. Each one brought it's own unique group and experience to the Observatory. The EduTrips ranged on topics from photography to mountaineering, and the DayTrips brought

Spring rains are on the way 2012-04-20 17:36:42.000 - Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Summer Mode The erstwhile springtime rainfall is well on its way!We left the summit last shift in a Snow Cat, with over a foot of snow on the ground, and widespread drifts in excess of 4-5 feet.But upon our return on Wednesday, as Brian mentioned in his comment yesterday, we made it all the way to the summit in a 4-wheel drive van without chains! Very little snow had survived the 50+ degree temperatures that embraced Mt. Washington last week.As a result, the landscape has once again

More Signs of Spring 2012-04-19 16:33:42.000 - Brian Fitzgerald,  Summit Intern The Cog train with Mount Clay in the background. Here we are in mid April and the signs of spring are abound above treeline. Yesterday (Wednesday) on shift-change day our upcoming shift managed the first drive all the way up the mountain in our unchained 4x4 van. It's incredible that just over a week ago our shift left the summit and more than a foot of snow behind.Today's high temperatures in the lower 40s coupled with light winds and a strong April sun continued a string of pleasant weather

Volunteer Comments 2012-04-19 00:17:52.000 - Ed O'Malley,  Summit Volunteer Another volunteer week on the summit has drawn to a close. As usual, I enjoy my time here, cooked a lot of good food for a lot of good people, and took a lot of pictures. The summit offered us a wide range of weather and experiences this week, ranging from classic winter, to almost summer. As the Russian author Ivan Turgenev wrote (in Fathers and Sons, 1862), "A picture shows me at a glance what it takes dozens of pages of a book to expound," (source: Wikipedia), or to put

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles 2012-04-17 23:37:00.000 - John Bauhs,  Summit Volunteer NULL Sometimes, life at the Obs can seem like the movies. In his 1987 movie 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles', director John Hughes's characters- Del Griffith and Neal Page - push-through various travel methods to eventually gain their goals.The travels to this wonderful week (is it week eleven or is it weektwelve?) on the summit seemed to parralel the script of the great Hughes film. It all began with a pre-dawn SuperShuttle ride from my home in Germantown, MD to BWI, then a flight to Boston Logan, a pick-up by