Fiber and lightning 2011-08-22 19:40:36.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist The fiber optic cable we pulled today. There's usually a joke that asks, 'How many people does it take to screw in a light bulb?' Well today felt like a variation of that question only it went 'How many observatory staff does it take to pull an old, unused fiber optic line through the entire length of the building?' The answer is apparently 4-5 of us (three observers, and two interns) over a span of just over two hours. In addition, it was dirty (I'm still pulling lil' chunks of

Marty visits the vet 2011-08-21 18:24:44.000 - Brian Clark,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist Marty, back on his favorite chair Steve let the cat out of the bag the other day (pun intended) when he briefly mentioned that our beloved mascot and pet, Marty the cat, had to go down to the valley for a couple of days last week to visit his vet. Naturally, we have had quite a few people asking if he is ok and generally wondering how he's doing, so I figured I would take this opportunity to let everyone know that Marty is doing just fine. The

Second oldest working barometer in the US 2011-08-20 21:00:27.000 - Roger Pushor,  Weather Observer/IT Specialist Second oldest working barometer in the US A barometer is a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure and only at the Mount Washington Observatory will you find the second oldest working mercury barometer in the United States with the oldest one being at the Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center located at the summit of Great Blue on the Blue Hills Reservation.The mercury barometer continues to be used at the Mount Washington Observatory because of its reliability, simplicity and accuracy. The mercury

8-19-11 Stephen Rosenman 2011-08-19 18:38:30.000 - Stephen Rosenman,  Summit Intern Adventure Trippers Taking in the Sunset As summer winds down, it is sad to see the other summer interns finish up at the Observatory and head off back to school. Fortunately, I am going abroad this fall and my semester does not begin until much later than the normal school year, so I still have two shifts to go. Life has been super busy so far this shift as the weather has held up better than expected and visitors have definitely taken advantage. I have spent much of the past

Interns First Day 2011-08-18 15:59:12.000 - David Narkewicz,  Summit Intern Today is my first full shift day as I just started my Fall Summit Internship at the Mount Washington Observatory. So far it has been a great start to my new journey. The weather has been exceptional over the past 24 hours. Yesterday in the afternoon, the temperatures were in the 50's with winds only around 15-30 mph. The visibility was right around 110 miles. I took every opportunity I had to be outside and take few snapshots, not knowing when I would see another summer day up here like

Bad to nice 2011-08-18 00:43:30.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Weather Observer/Meteorologist Tower and sunset today. The weather was surprisingly nice today, which is always a bit odd at a place known for "The World's Worst Weather". When I started out from my home in the valley, skies were overcast with light drizzle and temperatures were a bit cool. As soon as I reached the base of the summit in Pinkham Notch for shift change, the skies opened up and perfectly blue skies surrounded the summit. Winds and temperatures on the summit were right where models had us in the 40s with

Volunteer Comment 2011-08-16 22:00:02.000 - Tor Clark,  Summit Volunteer Son of former Chief Observer, longtime member, first time volunteer and on arrival, learned that my advance billing included "former intern", which was as a high school senior in 1970, helping dismantle the tower that dated from the original (1937?) Observatory, and rebuilding it. One of my duties was salvaging the weathered wooden shingles to be sold as fundraising momentous. I took a turn in the kitchen rotation - the observers did the cooking then - my meatballs, from a recipe that Al Oxton dug out "given me by an old

NULL 2011-08-15 17:08:09.000 - Kevin Cronin,  Summit Intern NULL This is my first week at the summit as an intern and it's been a great experience so far. Tom has made this week easy for me by showing me the ropes. Pete, Steve, Rick, and Erin have always been there to answer questions if I had them. Everyone has made it easy to adjust to this lifestyle and I love it so far. I hope all the volunteers are as kind as Hillary and Tor. They have cooked some incredible meals the past few nights. The weather so far has

NULL 2011-08-14 18:00:57.000 - Peter Strand,  Summit Intern 'Thanks to my awesome interns'. Thanks Erin! Looks like it's time for yet another farewell intern comment. Time really does fly by on the rock pile. It seems like only a short time ago that I arrived on the summit, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Not knowing quite what to expect, I attempted to learn everything I could as fast as possible. I would first like to thank the folks on my shift: Mike, Steve, Rick, Tom, Erin and Stacey. I learned so much from them during my time here. Not a

Marty's Vaccination Today 2011-08-14 11:47:15.000 - Rick Giard,  Observer / Educational Specialist Marty Confined to Quarters As the only permanent full-time resident on the Summit, our Observatory cat Marty generally has freedom to come and go as he pleases. I say 'our' loosely, because he characteristically seems to think that he owns the place - King of the Mountain, as it were. Especially in summer, he generally roams and explores at will, inside and out. He is also very territorial and protective when other animals 'invade' his turf, and has often been observed standing off with domesticated and wild animals