Natalie's Farewell 2008-08-19 11:55:36.000 - Natalie Martin,  Summit Intern This summer I’ve seen fog, rime ice, clear views of over 100 miles, and powerful thunderstorms. I’ve researched the observatory’s carbon footprint, made videos for the obscasts, entered millions of pieces of weather data online, cataloged and labeled our videos, worked in the museum/shop, created SOPs, forecasted, broadcasted, and observed the weather. I’ve made friends with observers, interns, volunteers, and visitors. I’ve peered out of thick glass windows during thunderstorms, ran outside in the fog at night, sat quietly on rocks looking at the vastness before me, and even sought the

Volunteer thoughts... 2008-08-18 14:41:40.000 - Cay Everest,  Summit Volunteer 61 Stairs... Having spent the last 122 hours and 22 minutes at the summit of Mount Washington with the Mount Washington Observatory staff, I have an enriched appreciation of their efforts. I am just now acclimated to breathing 20% less 0xygen and can climb the 61 stairs to the Observatory tower without being winded. I have been lucky to draw a good partner in Rob who has (patiently) taught me much about cooking.nnThe staff has shared their excitement by encouraging us to interact more closely with the weather. We have stood

Hail!!!! 2008-08-17 09:24:56.000 - Jim Salge,  Temporary Observer Hail accumulating during the storm... Well, shortly after I posted yesterday’s comment, the forecasted thunderstorms moved in, with a strange breed of ferocity. Absent from the storm was the typical winds and fog, present was frequent, visible lightning and A LOT of hail. Pea size hail poured down upon the peak for about an hour, covering the ground with a significant coating of ice. For the bike racers yesterday, it was distinctively easier for top racers to meet their personal race goals than those who were not among the elite. While roads

Bike Race and Sun Rays... 2008-08-16 07:01:50.000 - Jim Salge,  Temporary Observer Rain Showers and Sun Rays... This morning is the annual Mount Washington Bicycle Hillclimb, where 600 riders will challenge themselves to one of the toughest climbs in the world. The race, 7.6 miles long, averages a 12% grade and reaches 22% near the top, a treat for tired riders. Every year, it’s a coin toss (or weather conditions toss) as to whether the runners or the bikers will set a faster winning time, leading to the conclusion that there is little mechanical advantage to the wheel on Mount

More Wet... 2008-08-15 11:08:51.000 - Jim Salge,  Temporary Observer Clear skies, building clouds... This morning, the summit has exhibited a classic symptom: summer convective cycles. A clear, cool and most importantly beautiful morning dawned with the full crew and guests on the deck at sunrise. Temperatures dropped back to near 40 degrees, and a light breeze kept a crisp feel to the air. A low fog filled the valleys, but skies at an even level with, and above the summit were clear.As the sun rose grew higher, the valleys respond quickly and fill with warmth, ‘burning off’ the fog. The

Maine Coon 2008-08-14 10:34:38.000 - Natalie Martin,  Summit Intern Maine Coons are typically a large cat, the average male weighs between 13-20 pounds and the average female weighs 7-11 pounds. They can also grow quite long, in fact the record length of a cat is held by a Maine Coon at 48 inches. Maine Coons grow a bit more slowly than most cats, typically reaching their full size until four or five years. Marty is thought to be only 2-3 years old so I won't call him a small cat just yet. They come in a wide variety of colors,

Subaru Science at the Ballpark 2008-08-13 14:10:11.000 - Ken Rancourt,  Everyone's Buddy NULL It is nice to be back on the summit again after a long respite. The cool summer breezes are great, and the fog has just broken so I can see into the valleys. While Mr. Clark is on vacation in sunny PA, Jim Salge and I will be covering for him for the rest of the shift.Although it is nice to be back on top, I'll miss what is likely to be a really great program at our Weather Discovery Center in North Conway. Tonight is the

volunteer comment 2008-08-13 07:33:30.000 - Ken Stockwell,  Summit Volunteer View from the tower when it wasn't foggy. My weekend here has drawn to a close — I came up Thursday to help my wife, Maggie, as a Volunteer for the Mount Washington Observatory. Maggie has volunteered in the summer months since 2000 and myself, in all seasons of the year, since the mid 1990's.A busy time – a Summer Edu-trip was here Thursday so there was a full house. The rest of the weekend was busy with many members of the Observatory coming through and taking tours of the facility.

alpine garden 2008-08-12 15:35:13.000 - Lisa Hodges,  Summit Intern Last night's final appearance of the sun. I once heard the saying, "There is no bad weather: only bad clothing." Mt. Washington seems to have emphasized this concept for me. As I hiked up from Tuckerman Ravine on Sunday morning, in a brief period of clearing, I encountered many hikers wearing t-shirts, jeans, and sweatshirts, and carrying not even a day pack. As I approached the summit, light rain began to fall, and many of the hikers around me were not prepared with rain gear. Although I have yet to experience

labview projects 2008-08-11 10:38:36.000 - Jeff Wehrwein,  Summit Intern Pre-sunrise clouds over Wildcat. This week, I have been working on a project that relates to the current summit conditions page on our web site. That page is actually just a screen shot of a program that pulls data from our databases every minute. The program is written using LabView, which is a programming environment designed for working with instruments and data. It runs in several locations, including our living room here on the summit. At some point, the one in the living room stopped working properly, and I have been