NULL 2011-03-25 20:20:40.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist It has been decidedly hushed since our shift has returned to the summit on Wednesday.One reason is the lack of overnight trips to this point. This has been the quietest week in that respect since trip season began in December. No major change in this situation is expected, as there is a scant one EduTrip scheduled this shift, which is due to arrive on the summit tomorrow. With summer fast approaching, this trend will only continue, as we prepare to switch gears with the opening of the Cog, Auto Road, and Sherman

Brush and Pen 2011-03-24 15:01:48.000 - Cara Rudio,  Marketing and Communications Coordinator NULL When you work for a nonprofit scientific institution whose main operations are located on top of a mountain, you don't often have the opportunity to get dressed up and experience the finer things in life. On the rare occasion that we do host a person of stature, it's typically to load them into a snow tractor and hope the summit volunteers have remembered to put the spit and shine on the living quarters. Not exactly an occasion for heels and jewelry.Given these circumstances, you can understand my

NULL 2011-03-23 22:18:26.000 - Ed O Malley,  Summit Volunteer NULL Without the first intrepid visitors to the summit in 1870, and the colonization of the summit by the fledgling Observatory in 1932, it is likely that many of us who enjoy Mt. Washington today would not have the opportunity to visit here, or even know of the mountain's existence. The experiences of those who have visited Mt. Washington or the Observatory, and retold those stories, are what make the mountain unforgettable. The ongoing presence of the Observatory on the summit, the New Hampshire state park, and the protective cloak of

Volunteer comment 2011-03-22 17:41:15.000 - John Bauhs,  Summit Volunteer Hark! Is that a lenticular I see! A mountain is largely rock, stone, and soil. Although life exists upon it, weather is influenced by it and people are inspired due to it's vistas and the joy it brings. However, the mountain itself does not have a soul, a conscience or a memory. Mount Washington provides gifts that are as variable as the ever-changing weather. From 100+ mile visibility to riming conditions that are so fierce that you can't see your buddy five feet in front of you. Winds as calm as

Northern Presidential Traverse 2011-03-21 21:17:54.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer Northern Presidentials Traverse Today was my first full day back on the summit since Thursday. My options were either to take vacation or lose it, so, being the sensible person that I am, I took vacation. I took the second half of Thursday off and had a fine commute down the East Fields, across the Alpine Garden, and down Right Gully. All the snow was beautifully corned up, there was a bluebird sky above, and it was St. Patrick's Day. Awesome. I couldn't leave quite yet with such perfect conditions,

Snowmobiles, on the summit! 2011-03-20 17:51:09.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist Antique Snowmobiles Around midday today, Becca asked me "Do they allow snowmobiles on the Auto Road?". My answer was no, followed by an inquiry as to why she asked. A look out the window answered that question, as I saw quite a few snowmobiles coming around the corner just below Home Stretch. They weren't just any snowmobiles though, they were antique ones, belonging to folks in the New England Antique Snowmobile Club. I recalled that the Auto Road has allowed these special snowmobiles to come up the road

The earth, sun, and moon 2011-03-19 18:41:45.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Pillar and late light on the Mt Clay. Yesterday was a fairly windy day on the summit. From 6 am until 6 pm, we had hourly winds averaging 75 mph or more and for four of those hours, winds were averaging over 90 mph, all well within a category 1 hurricane classification. At its peak we even had a guest hit 122 mph. Now, yesterdays winds weren't that uncommon for the summit even for mid-March. Nor was it the strongest Brian or I have seen in our time

Mount Washington Makes the World Seem Small 2011-03-18 16:43:01.000 - Rebecca Scholand,  Summit Intern National Commanders of Pershing Rifles in Ohio For the past four and a half years I have held a number of major positions in The National Society of Pershing Rifles, a Tri-Service Military organization. This past off week was our annual National Competition and Convention held in Columbus at The Ohio State University. It was a packed three day event with active and alumni members in attendance from across the country. Despite being so insanely busy during the event I did find time to socialize with

Potential for high winds 2011-03-17 23:24:46.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist Saint Patty's Day Lenticular Clouds It's been a crazy couple of weeks on the summit. We've had a ton of overnight guests, and day trips as well. On top of that, Ryan has taken some time off, I took a few days to do some work from our Weather Discovery Center in North Conway, and now fellow day observer Mike Finnegan is off until Sunday afternoon. This constant flux of people and staff certainly keeps us busy, and definitely makes the time fly by. Honestly, it's very hard

Springing into spring 2011-03-16 23:29:55.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Still winter up here. The changes in the season are slowly creeping up on us. While astronomical spring and the vernal equinox won't happen for a few more days (Sunday, March 20th at 7:21 pm EDT), there are other subtle signs that keep popping up that spring and inevitably summer are just around the corner. The first is daylight savings. This past Sunday, daylight savings sprung most clocks in New England up an hour making for a "longer day" (although that's debatable in the grand scheme of things). It also