Shift Swaps 2009-01-12 23:18:21.000 - Mike Carmon,  Observer Pileus Cloud A few weeks ago, Mike Finnegan wrote a comment about his thoughts on switching shifts. For better or for worse, members of a shift get to know each other well, develop a rapport with each other, and settle in to a comfortable routine. I spent four months on a shift with Brian Clark and Ryan Knapp as an intern, getting to know them and how they operate on the summit. Well, those 'winds of change' that Mike was talking about that landed him on Brian and Ryan's shift have landed

Plymouth State intern Ross Fessenden 2009-01-11 11:53:24.000 - Ross Fessenden,  Summit Intern We can see the Northern Presidentials! Hello. My name is Ross Fessenden and I am a Plymouth State junior majoring in meteorology and interning here at the summit of Mount Washington. So far it has been an incredible experience. I arrived on Wednesday and quickly familiarized myself with the surroundings. That afternoon and evening I had the opportunity to go out and de-ice and take hourly observations with Jordan while withstanding winds around 80 mph. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life. In the

Glorious 2009-01-10 15:54:45.000 - Jordan Scampoli,  Summit Intern Rime on the rocks...Shaken, not stirred. Big things are happening at the summit today...SUN! It's been close to three shift weeks for me without a full day of clear skies, so needless to say today has been a good day. The morning started off with a gorgeous sunrise and low winds for our EduTripping group of science teachers. It was even a balmy 1 degree Fahrenheit above zero! Around 10 am Steve went for a walk about the summit, so Plymouth State intern Ross Fessenden and I decided to follow Steve's lead.

what's up on the summit 2009-01-09 15:16:40.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer Its not that cold! What does one write about when it is merely cold and windy? When there are no spectacular sunrises, sunsets, snowfall totals, winds, or temperatures? This is precisely my predicament. It doesn't even feel right to say its cold and windy compared to last week's condition, considering temperatures are only in the negative single digits and winds are only gusting to the 80's. So, in other news, we are finally fully staffed, for the first time since June. This is perfect timing, since things look like

Emily's comment 2009-01-08 11:19:05.000 - Summit Volunteer,  Summit Volunteer NULL I received one of two responses when I told people I was going to be volunteering at the Mt. Washington Observatory for New Year's week: 'Wow! I wish I could go too!' or 'You must be completely out of your mind.' After hearing about my week up here, more people have fallen into the group that thinks I'm crazy. We dealt with such challenges as lost equipment, 138 mph winds, -20 F temperatures (before windchill), cooking for an EduTrip and a day trip, and 3 of the 6 of us

Volunteer notes. 2009-01-07 01:44:04.000 - Lisa Carruthers,  Summit Volunteer NULL Spending the last eight days on the Summit has been an incredible experience for my daughter and myself. Being here for the high winds and low wind chill of New Years Day made it especially exciting. We celebrated New Years Eve on New England's Rooftop, and toasted in 2009 with Brian Clark and Diane Holmes, on duty for the State Park. After a celebratory New Years Day Dinner we were treated to views of the lights in Portland, ME as well as the glow from Montreal on the horizon from

2008/2009. 2009-01-05 17:30:57.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist A blank slate. The year 2008 came to a close on Wednesday and I ushered in 2009 the same way I usher in every new day on the summits - changing our recording charts. While the rest of the crew was watching the ball drop, I waited upstairs counting down to midnight (as always) and then quickly switching out the old charts with new blank charts. In the back of my mind though, I looked at the Hays chart and could not help but think of a few metaphors for this particular

PSU Intern. 2009-01-04 22:01:54.000 - Jeffrey Viel,  Summit Intern Outside in the wind. My name is Jeffrey Viel, and I am currently a junior at Plymouth State University majoring in meteorology. As an intern here at the Mount Washington Observatory, I have several responsibilities to manage throughout the week. Not only am I conducting a research project based here at the summit, but I am also contributing to the work of the observers and helping with their daily tasks.I have had a thrilling experience this first week at the Mount Washington Observatory. It all started early Tuesday morning, when we

Back from "Vacation" 2009-01-03 21:16:30.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer What I Partially Tore In My Knee It's good to be back on the summit after a very unplanned "vacation" for my shift previous to this one. On the Monday night before that shift, I was playing ice hockey. As I was trying to get up off the ice at one point, I twisted my knee to the extent that it popped out of joint and then back in again. Not a pleasant feeling, and as someone that is very active in sports that see frequent knee injuries (soccer, skiing, etc.),

2009 In Like a Freight Train! 2009-01-02 14:44:12.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer It seems the weather is full of surprises this holiday season, saving some of the most extreme for the beginning of the New Year. I awoke yesterday to the comforting sound of a freight train outside my bedroom window and was eager to get up to see just how high the winds were and how cold it had become through the night. Winds were sustained around 100 mph and the temperature was a bitter cold -21F. This was not a day to have any exposed skin! As