NULL 2009-12-26 14:27:30.000 - Marty,  Summit Cat It looks way better on me! Meow. Marty here. I think I like this 'Christmas' holiday. Two weeks ago, the blond girl and the brunette did something different to the living room. They transformed it into a magnificent play area for me! A small tree had lots of shiny hanging things, and it was lit up! Even when I would knock the funny toys onto the ground and attack the snowflakes, the observers (usually the blond one) would just hang it right back up, for me to play some more! Me-ow!Lights strung up

MC! 2009-12-25 05:28:06.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist NULL Merry Christmas! Today is December 25th, and I find myself here on the summit of Mt. Washington, away from my family for the first time in 23 years! Since I can remember, we have followed our Christmas traditions with no exceptions. Before these days of working the night shift, I used to be an early to bed/early to rise type of guy. So, on Christmas morning, I would normally be one of the first in my family to arise. Next to my bed would be a stocking that 'Santa' had filled

A holiday parody, vol 3 2009-12-23 05:25:40.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! The past two years I have done 'summitized' parodies of Christmas stories/songs and this year is no exception. Last year, I did a parody on the poem/song 'The 12 Days of Christmas' titled 'The 12 Days of Summit Christmas.' The year before, it was the 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' with an obs spin on how the story goes. This year, I am putting a twist on the song 'Jingle Bells' which I am titling 'Summit Weeks'. So as your reading it, put

Pete's Week 2009-12-22 13:24:34.000 - Peter Roy,  Summit Volunteer Fogbow Over the Summit My week as a volunteer has been fun, some hard work, but fun. The week started with 100 MPH wind gusts and below zero temperatures. My 25 year old face mask froze over. As I helped load and unload the snow tractor I couldn't see. The crew was very business like and put stuff in my hands to pass on.I settled in and got started. Saturday was great! The temps hit 20 above I think. I got out side and took some pictures. A group of 8

Things that are Short 2009-12-21 17:47:15.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer Alpineglow on Adams It has been a quiet week here on the summit. Just four folks up here - myself working days, Ryan working nights, our volunteer Pete, and a state park employee. You might be wondering what has happened to our other observer and intern. Brian is off on vacation to Wyoming, probably getting totally worked ripping some of his first turns this year in deep powder. I'm sure the face shots make all the burning worthwhile though. With any luck, he will have taken some photos during

100!! 2009-12-20 22:28:09.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Sunset number x of y. I love December! First, it's just a merry month all around. Regardless of your beliefs, people I know just seem to be in a good mood despite what seems to be the news' constant negative spin on everything. I don't know, maybe its the sights of the lights, the smell of pine trees in neighboring tree lots, the smell of gingerbread houses and sugar cookies, the warmth of being in doors while its snowing, visiting with family and friends or just helping our fellow man by throwing

A Beautiful Day 2009-12-19 21:31:16.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer NULL It never ceases to amaze me how quickly things can change in regards to weather. Two days ago, it was -24 degrees outside. Today we hit a high temperature of 22 degrees and winds nearly calm. Instead of layering in a facemask, hat, hood, and goggles, I only needed a pair of sunglasses. I traded in insulated boots for sneakers and snow pants for flannel lined pants. At times I even neglected to wear a jacket. Not that I would dress like this if I were hiking even around

The Swamp and The Mountain 2009-12-18 21:35:03.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Crisp and Clear this afternoon. At the start of one of my college Creative Writing classes we studied a short story that had three characters: a man, a boy, and a swamp. We read three variations of the story but each had roughly the same three elements to it. The reason it sticks out in my mind is how loaded it was with morals depending on which variation we read. And in thinking back to it, I think it is a great story for hikers to keep in

Winter! 2009-12-17 18:53:28.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer Frigid Morning Alpineglow It has taken its' time, but i think winter has finally arrived just about everywhere, even the valley. Last offweek began with an icy drive back to North Conway where I had to pull someone with summer tires and a bit too much speed back onto the road. The following day began with a few laps of snowboarding on a local ski hill I skinned up and ended with my first ice climb of the season up in Craford Notch. We got our Christmas tree on Saturday (which even

Zlogars 2009-12-16 10:05:37.000 - Sue and Mike Zlogar,  Summit Volunteers Today is our final morning on the summit. I could never do justice to the excitement around here. First and most important, Marty is mousing again. Apparently he took a hiatus from this very critical activity up here while he was mending from his skin ailment. We were all somewhat concerned as the mice were getting somewhat brazen, but NO! Marty was just toying with them...he had the last laugh. Saturday night as I was heading to the kitchen for my late night tea I noticed Marty was only half