hike to jefferson 2008-09-21 06:29:56.000 - Jeff Wehrwein,  Summit Intern Peaking out from the summit of Jefferson The weather this week has been wonderful, if a bit chilly. We spent all of Thursday below freezing with a brisk wind and clear skies. Yesterday the sun shined brightly and the wind was calm, so the 45 degree air felt like 60 on the summit. Jordan and I took advantage of this comfortable weather to take a hike to Mount Jefferson, which is the next peak to our north in the presidential range after Mount Clay. It is about 3 miles each

Sunrise Hike 2008-09-20 07:58:07.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer Sunrise Well, it has been a couple of beautiful days and nights here on the summit. I got out for a nice sunrise hike yesterday, a bit by mistake. I only went out for a short walk, but I was in the fine mode of moseying and when in such a mode, it is quite easy just to keep going. After being up all night I was a bit tired, but this was alright. I didn’t need, nor did I want, to hike quickly. There will be other times for that.

Fall Bug 2008-09-18 10:26:37.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer The only cure for the Fall Bug Spring Fever is a feeling of restlessness, yearning, or even laziness believed to be brought on by the coming of spring, as per the MSN Encarta free online dictionary.nnWell, I’ve got another one, the Fall Bug. The Fall Bug manifests itself as intense cravings for apples, cider, and pumpkin flavored baked goods and ales, at least for me. The way my breath hangs in the air during the early morning makes me giddy and the contemplation of Halloween costumes gets me floored. Some of my

A volunteers POV 2008-09-16 15:32:06.000 - Melissa Rudin,  Summit Volunteer This mornings undercast. Even though I grew up in a suburb just outside of Chicago I have never considered myself to be a city person. However now that I live in Maine, the extremes of Chicago weather is what I miss most. Some of my fondest memories as child are of my Father and me sitting on the back porch watching intense lightning displays. Even now as a photographer, weather continues to captivate me and it is what I find so alluring about Mount Washington.nnI feel fortunate not only for

From the Museum Attendant 2008-09-15 14:36:23.000 - Sharon Nothnagle,  Summit Museum Attendant My Home in the Summer As I woke up this morning, I was aware of the howling of high winds outside my bedroom window. We had hoped, after venturing out in the winds last night (I am on the left), that the morning winds would fulfill our expectations, and they certainly did! It’s always fun to go out in the big winds and, this time, the temperature was unseasonably warm (in the 50’s). At around 8:00 AM, one of our volunteers, Melissa, and I went up the tower

Marty's Adventure 2008-09-14 11:10:09.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer I promise, Marty is in this picture! When Marty, our cat, arrived on the summit back in January, we quickly discovered that he is a very adventurous and curious cat. Since then, I have also discovered that he enjoys following me around with things I do through the day, so much so that I began calling him “my shadow” back in the spring. Almost every day he follows me on the morning “walk-around”, which is when I take a few minutes to walk through the building to make sure everything looks ok

There's a first for everything. 2008-09-13 05:03:31.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Sunrise from 09-11-08. The first light of the day. Nothing compares to the emotions and memories of experiencing something for the first time. And life is full of firsts from the time we enter this world until the time we depart it. Our first cry announces our entry to the world. Our first words, allowing us to learn how to communicate our experiences to others verbally. Our first steps allowing us mobility to explore the world around us. Our first written word allowing us the ability to provide

Doing Some Work at Lakes 2008-09-12 16:04:33.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer Looking down into Oakes Gulf On Wednesday, Ken (Director of Summit Operations) tasked me with going down to the Lakes of the Clouds AMC hut to make sure that the temperature and humidity sensor that is located there is ready for the long, harsh winter months that are quickly descending upon the mountain. By this time next week, the hut will be boarded up for the winter, so this is our last chance to easily check things out.nnThose that frequently read the Observer Comments may remember that back in

September 11 2008-09-11 18:09:51.000 - Mike Carmon,  Summit Intern NULL My welcome back to the summit was a blustery and cold one—a stark contrast from the 80-90 degree weather I enjoyed on my week off. When I arrived at the summit Wednesday morning, the temperature was around 29 degrees and winds were blowing near 50 mph, creating some chilly wind chills. I thought I was prepared for it, but as soon as I opened the door of the van I knew I wasn’t. My hands nearly froze during the unloading/reloading process, but I quickly recovered. I’m definitely not in Jersey

volunteer comment 2008-09-10 06:28:13.000 - Priscilla and Harriet,  Summit Volunteers NULL Here are a few words from Priscilla and Harriet (Thelma and Louise) -- volunteers who cooked at the MWOB this week. What a week it was and where do we start with the many firsts and experiences? Deb, museum attendant extraordinaire, filled us in on all of the important facts. The food, weather, rock scrambling and hiking and a really GREAT CREW made it the best of weeks. Steve and 'the kids' always popping in for second breakfast or lunch. Cookies and brownies disappeared fast.nnWell, first the food --