NULL 2009-12-09 22:57:39.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist NULL When I was in ninth grade, one of our English assignments was to write an adventure. The assignment was inspired by reading Odysseus, by Homer. Well, I made up some lame story about having to pay for the beach. At that point in my life, I hadn't really experienced any real adventures. Obstacles, danger, setbacks, and triumph upon completion are the ingredients for an adventure or an Odyssey. Every shift change can be considered an adventure. However, today's shift change was especially reminiscent of Odysseus's long trek back home after

A look at mile-high life 2009-12-08 23:43:58.000 - Marty Basch and Jan Duprey,  Summit Volunteers NULL We are volunteer rockpile rookies, on the tail end of a whirlwind week on thesummit. From circumnavigating the observation deck seven times in 84 mile per hourwinds to organizing and taking inventory of the freezers, we are having a first-handlook at mile-high life.It's not too shabby.We are a couple, a team, which basically boils down to this: Jan cooks, Martyfetches. That would be Marty the person, not Marty the cat. It really isn't all thatconfusing. Neither Brian Clark, Mike Finnegan or Will Tourtellot really

Winter is here to stay! 2009-12-07 23:17:27.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist NULL Back in October, it seemed like winter was getting an early start. On October 13 and 14 we measured a total of 8.3 inches of snow. The crew that tried to come up the mountain on the 14th for shift change discovered drifts several feet deep on the Auto Road, forcing us to use the Cog Railway for transportation. By the end of October, that phantom start to winter seemed so far in the past. November proved to be an extremely warm month (see my comment

Learning Russian and Toolin' 'round 2009-12-06 19:36:17.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer Toolin' 'round! The weather certainly has taken a turn towards winter in the past two weeks. Last week started with the highest wind seen this year at 137 mph and now nearing the end of the first week of December, temperatures have dropped to the single digits with winds approaching 80 mph. It seems that winter has finally arrived and with any luck is here to stay. As Brian mentioned in a previous comment, our 12-12 schedule allows us both time to get outside while the sun is

Looking back at November 2009-12-05 10:40:06.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist NULL Things have been a little 'off' this shift. For starters, Marty the cat hasn't been around because he went down the mountain on Wednesday to go see the vet. Luckily it's nothing too serious; he has been scratching and licking his back excessively and this has caused it to become a bit raw. He has been staying with the other shift's intern, Mary Ellen, and will be returning to the summit today. Also, Ryan, who usually works the overnight shift of observations, is on vacation this shift.

Snow, Snow, Snow! 2009-12-03 20:03:44.000 - Will Tourtellot,  Summit Intern Summit Buildings At Dusk Yesterday was shift change and with my time here on the summit drawing to an end I couldn't have been more excited about getting back on the mountain. My excitement was due to several different things, but chief among them was the possibility of a snow tractor ride! As we were loading the van and chaining tires there was a bit of chatter about the snow tractor. So, as any snow-tractor-ride-desiring person, I thought that we would SURELY pile into the snow tractor at the half-way

Seek the Peak 10 2009-12-02 13:38:52.000 - Cara Rudio,  Marketing and Communications Coordinator Registration for Seek the Peak 10 is officially open! New England's premier hiking event and the largest annual fundraiser for thenonprofit Mount Washington Observatory, Seek the Peak 10 will be held July 23-24, 2010. This 10th annual hike-a-thon will feature a number of exciting new additions,including:- A new and improved registration process- A special 10th anniversary premium package (available for purchase)featuring a short-sleeved wicking hiking shirt in both men's and women'ssizes (and yes, you can still get the classic cotton tee for free!)- Expanded hours for Friday

NULL 2009-12-01 09:22:42.000 - Rob Jones,  Summit Volunteer Me on Deck! It is my observation that MWO operates on the maxim 'Waste not, want not'. Someone is always in the process of figuring out how to do something with what is on hand. This is also the guiding principle in the observatory kitchen. Volunteers are encouraged to use up ingredients that are about to expire, the crew and volunteer make every effort to eat any leftovers, and recycling is the order of the day. Early in this volunteer week I was asked to do something with some bananas that were

NULL 2009-11-30 09:43:39.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist NULL Weather and this mountain never cease to amaze me. The amazing amount of snowfall and the incredible winds whipping the snow off and around the summits created a winter-wonderland landscape; dangerously beautiful. Rime formed on every surface, making the buildings appear to be blanketed in snowy clouds. In one day, on a previously snow-less summit, the Yankee Drift is back to normal and the brilliant sunlight peaking through the clouds and reflecting off the newly frosty summit and hurts your eyes. After spending much of the shift week in fog

137 2009-11-28 22:36:24.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist Now that's a good looking Hays Chart! Good things come to those who wait! orBe careful what you wish for...All of you avid followers of our observer comments are probably intimately familiar with the tame November we've been experiencing on the summit. Every day since November 8th has seen temperatures averaging above normal, and up until yesterday, we had experienced a mere 4.3" of snow. This past Wednesday (November 25th), we were able to ride all the way to the summit in the 4-wheel drive van without the use of chains! We