NULL 2009-09-18 11:06:16.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist Above the clouds, but not for long It seems that our fog and wind machines are working again. Visibility is down to approximately 75 feet, (that's being generous) and winds are blowing at a consistent 55 mph, gusting over 60 mph and it's in the mid thirties. It's a bit of a 180 from our last shift week. However, we're all exceedingly excited because the weather is going to get even more interesting. Interesting for folks on top of Mount Washington usually means two things, cold and windy. A cold front

NULL 2009-09-16 14:06:12.000 - Mark Rohssler,  Summit Volunteer NULL As we enter the middle of the fall season on the Rockpile, the weather has once again not failed to surprise us. During the eight days that I have been here, we have gone from beautiful, warm, clear days with unlimited visibility, to cold and windy days with fog and no visibility. I have been on various EduTrips and have always been fortunate and amazed by the hospitality and great food afforded to me by the volunteers and staff of Mount Washington Observatory. I am extremely grateful to be able to

Volunteer experiences 2009-09-15 16:13:41.000 - John Neilsen,  Summit Volunteer This was my first week volunteering on the summit and cooking for the crew has been a great experience. The first half of the week the weather was sunny and clear with low winds. I went out on the observation deck late at night and the Milky Way looked like someone painted it across the sky. I was also able to get a few hikes in during the day, one in each direction (north and south) for a total of about four miles. One hike down to Lakes of the Clouds

Cool clouds! 2009-09-14 16:54:43.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist NULL This shift has been a good one for seeing interesting clouds. For last Saturday's comment, I posted a picture of some cool looking clouds we saw when the fog broke during that morning. Yesterday morning we saw some nice lenticulars, a picture of which I posted on the Observatory's page on Facebook. Then today we saw more lenticulars, along with some very unique and beautiful cloud formations that I'm not even sure how to classify. In some ways it seemed a lot like a cap cloud, but in other

My second week on the mountain 2009-09-13 17:30:53.000 - Will Tourtellot,  Summit Intern Tearing Down The Old ASOS Shed Well, after a week of beautiful weather today sees the return of more typical Mount Washington weather. Last night's Sunset Soiree was a great success and we were able to catch a glimpse of the sun as it set on the horizon. During the last week or two we've finally completed some of the major maintenance projects as we prepare to hunker down for the rapidly approaching winter season. This is my second shift as a fall intern and I'm settling

Sunset Soiree! 2009-09-12 14:26:03.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist Morning breaks in the fog, providing hope This evening is going to be a busy one for the summit crew, and even more so for some of our valley staff as we host a special fall event, the Sunset Soriee. The part of this event that we will be involved in comes early this evening when the 150 guests come to the summit to partake in some dessert and a champagne toast at sunset. Of course, the best case scenario involves a sunset that our guests will actually be able

The one about the weather, horses and donkeys... 2009-09-11 21:46:49.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Sunrise in black/white w/ red accents. With the string of "nice" weather we have been receiving the last three weeks, it is odd to think that by this time last month, the summit had already received 3.05 inches of precipitation. So far this month, we haven't even received a trace of precipitation (although there is a slight chance overnight). While most of us working here are eager for snowfall and the severe weather the summits winter brings, like Mike said yesterday, it has allowed us

Tasks for Nice Weather 2009-09-10 18:01:55.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer Shack Deconstruction Continues The weather for this past month has been quite phenomenal with abundant sunshine and low winds for the most part on the summit. This has allowed us to accomplish many of the tasks we have been trying to do since winter came to a close a few months ago. It has just been a bit difficult since the first couple months seemed to consist of only fog and rain. Last week I set out to hike the Southern Presidentials. I had never hiked past Monroe for

NULL 2009-09-09 07:59:39.000 - Thelma and Louise,  Summit Volunteers What a way to end the week! Our week of cooking at the Observatory has been an extraordinary experience!!! The Observatory staff, Steve, Stacey, Michael, Mary Ellen, Deb and of course, Marty, are the best. We began to feel like family almost immediately. This even felt better than last year. Perhaps, because of the weather, blue skies, no wind (comparatively speaking) allowed us to enjoy the mountains every day. You might say we were on a "Mountain High". Met great people from all over the world. Our roles as "Julia and

NULL 2009-09-07 14:31:33.000 - Mary Ellen Dunn,  Summit Intern Northern Presidentials on a sunny day. My second week here at the observatory has been great. The weather has been beautiful with sunshine, some winds, and visibility lasting for miles. Looking out the window on Sunday was certainly comforting. I was able to see all the way into the Adirondacks. Being from New York, the opportunity to see my home state from such a unique vantage point, on top of a mountain 130 miles away, was awesome.This weekend, Labor Day crowds flooded the summit with many entering the museum and gift