Monday 2007-10-01 17:44:40.000 - Aubrie Pace,  Summit Intern Observers Unite! Monday morning began with 2 absentees. First Sharon, our Museum Attendant, was not feeling well and decided to go down the mountain. Then Stacey, our Educational Observer, changed shifts and today was her last day with us. One position on our decreasing roster was filled though, by Bill, the Observatory’s Retail Manager who will join us until Sharon is hopefully well on Wednesday. Nonetheless, things felt a little different throughout the course of the day. Brian was alone while Peter and I worked the museum. Many songs went unsung by

breaking out of the clouds 2007-09-30 20:48:15.000 - Peter Sciola,  Summit Intern Sunset Finally, we broke out of the fog last night to a bright waning moon and a partial undercast. Needless to say I was excited because perhaps, just maybe, we would be able to witness the tree colors popping all throughout the mountain range for the first time since my shift started on Wednesday. Oh, and the parents are going to stop by. And what a gorgeous day it was. All throughout the valleys and slopes, reds, oranges and yellows were popping in unison as temperatures had dropped

Thoughts on learning 2007-09-29 16:02:20.000 - Stacey Kawecki,  Observer Books Today the summit was proud to host Richard Hendrickson for his first visit to the top of Mount Washington. This man has been forecasting for as long as the observatory has been operational, 75 years. He is a walking climate record for his hometown in Long Island. He and his family very generously provided the Observatory with two books, written, and signed, by Mr. Hendrickson himself. These books are a fascinating history of folklore, farming, and weather in the “Fish Tail” of Long Island, complete with photographs from before WWI,

The Weather Channel Visits 2007-09-27 17:01:06.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer The Weather Channle crew on our webcam The Weather Channel paid us a visit today. Their crew was supposed to come up last night and stay overnight, unfortunately it didn’t end up fitting into their schedule. So, instead most of their crew rode up the Cog Railway late this morning and was around for a couple hours.They shot various outdoor and indoor footage, as well as a question and answer interview with myself and Stacey. It was a lot of fun to do the interview and was definitely a new

Boats vs hiking 2007-09-27 04:38:59.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist NULL When I headed out onto the water of the Gulf of Mexico this past week off the summit, I was paying a keen eye to the weather models and reports. As I drifted on the waters two hours off shore, I came to the realization that I was depending on a forecast produced by someone else, much like most hikers depend on our forecast when they head up to the higher terrain of the summits. So how did I read their forecasts? I started with a weather synopsis, or

NULL 2007-09-24 15:18:04.000 - Alan & Barbara Macgregor,  Summit Volunteers NULL We have been volunteering at the MWO for the past week. They say that Mt. Washington has the worst weather in the world. At the beginning of our shift however, such was not the case. Mild temperatures, clear skies, and calm winds prevailed. The sunrises and sunsets were spectacular. A grand contrast took place Sat. night into Sunday, when temps. dropped into the 40's, wind chill became 20's, and wind speeds increased to near 80 mph. High winds, but beautiful clear days have continued. Many other contrasts have taken

Alpine Garden 2007-09-23 17:30:43.000 - Karen Thorp,  Summit Intern NULL Over the past week the valley has brightened. The sedges and white birches have lightened to gold while the maples in the valley turned crimson. It is astounding how over a week the colors changed so rapidly and vividly. This was brought to my attention yesterday on a hike through the alpine garden. The winds whipped across the sedges while ominous, dense clouds rolled in from the west. The winds have been gusting up to 80 mph with sustained winds around 60 mph, forcing the wind chill down into the

A journey into the Gulf. 2007-09-21 22:53:09.000 - Zach Allen,  Meteorologist Spaulding Lake and Boulders There has been a definite difference in the weather between the two shifts. This shift has been receiving warm weather while the other shift gets colder weather and icing. This has occurred since late August. Hopefully we can break this trend soon. Our glaze and rime ice starved interns have been very patient in their wait to deice the tower. The enduring wait for wild winter like weather will just have to wait until another shift week as of now.On separate note, I took the

NULL 2007-09-20 21:03:36.000 - Kyle Paddleford,  Meteorologist An orange adrift at sea Well today marked my first full day on the summit in three weeks. As you may have guessed this is a post vacation comment. I spent most of my time seeing friends and family, riding my bike on peaceful quiet country roads, and working at my other job in Concord, NH. Not to worry though, I didn’t let working my second job take up too much of my time because, well, I was on vacation. Perhaps the most exciting portion of my time off was being a groomsman

First Week on the Summit 2007-09-18 17:23:03.000 - Aubrie Pace,  Summit Intern Mountain Sunset Tuesday has arrived and signals the final full day that will close my first week atop Mount Washington. Writing now with more appreciation and awe for the summit, not to mention a drained feeling all over my body, it truly amazes me at what I have done all week. Wednesday (or really “Monday” in Stacey’s definition) morning started at 7:15am with a ride up to the summit. With more gear packed then really needed, I was not able to look out the fog covered windows to