My First Week, Part 4: Not in Pennsylvania Anymore Toto 2017-11-30 22:18:22.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer/Meteorologist   When I abruptly left the summit in 2014, I was unsure if I would ever be able to return to working for the Mount Washington Observatory. The day that I tore my ACL, I went down the Auto Road expecting to come back up top the following shift. Unfortunately, that was unable to happen due to the extreme nature of this job and the liability I would carry being up top in the winter. It was tough, but it made me very

Gearing up for Winter Transportation 2017-11-28 08:14:21.000 - Tom Padham, Weather Observer/Education Specialist   As November turns to December we begin our transition into the heart of the winter season on the summit, which means transportation gains more challenges. For now we’re still able to use a truck with chains and a plow to lead the way up the Mount Washington Auto Road, but as the snow pack continues to build we’ll likely begin using the snowcat in the next few weeks. What is only a 20-30 minute trip from the summer season now can take 3+ hours due to

Dear Santa... 2017-11-26 05:29:02.000 - Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer/Staff Meteorologist   Dear Santa -   Another year has flown by, seems like just yesterday that I was writing you. Hope all is well with you and the missus at the North Pole and the elves are all working hard as they put the final touches on your “Nice List” for this year.   Speaking of the “Nice” list, hopefully we landed on it once again this year… I like to think that we acted kindly and respectfully to all our interns, guests, friends, families and pet (Marty Kitty). By the

Thanksgiving Recap! 2017-11-24 16:40:20.000 - Taylor Regan, Weather Observer   Part of the responsibility of taking a position at a continuously-manned weather station atop a remote mountaintop is the knowledge that you will, at some point, be required to work a major holiday. In all honesty, working as a weather observer on Thanksgiving isn’t so bad: we don’t have to deal with holiday traffic, we don’t have to battle other shoppers in a last minute run to the grocery store, and we get to experience the weather the summit is famous for, often with a few surprised thrown in. No,

My First Week, Part 3: Summer with Just a Dash of Winter 2017-11-20 08:36:21.000 - Nicole Tallman, Summit Intern   Among this series of stories of first weeks on the summit mine will be the most recent. Just this past summer, I began my journey on this mountain that I now call home. Much like Mike, I grew up in central New Jersey. Surrounded by farmland and neighborhoods, the mountains were a foreign environment for me. However, my passion for extreme weather and drive to experience new things lead me to apply for this internship. Fresh out of college and

My First Week, Part 2: Long Drive, Quiet Week 2017-11-17 15:29:15.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   The first time I have ever really been east of the Mississippi River was coming to New Hampshire for my internship here at the Observatory. I had grown up in Colorado and gone to school in North Dakota but Mount Washington was always something that I paid attention too and was very excited to learn that I was given the opportunity to come out here for a few months and experience the weather first hand! Moving out to New Hampshire happened really

My First Week, Part 1: A New Jersey Fish Out Of Water 2017-11-15 15:44:08.000 - Mike Carmon, Senior Meteorologist & Education Specialist   This coming Saturday, November 18th, the Mount Washington Observatory celebrates another important date in our history: the date of our first recorded weather observation atop Mount Washington’s summit. In honor of this historic occasion, our shift has decided to regale you with tails from each of our individual first shift-weeks on the job. It’s been quite some time for a few of us, and maybe a little less for others, but one thing’s certain: we’ve all transformed

The Evolution of a Summit Intern 2017-11-13 13:18:40.000 - Greg Cornwell, Summit Intern   Life can be a series of repeating patterns. This sounds comfortable and boring, but when you apply it to a different viewpoint, it’s how you seek your adventure. It’s about jumping into a new environment, learning and building yourself up, persevering, and then looking back at how you have grown. Being an intern on Mount Washington follows this process, as much as it did in that first job out of school and school itself. I filled out my intern application right on the deadline for the

Best Day Ever, Part 4: First 120+ mph Wind Experience 2017-11-08 12:08:21.000 - Adam Gill, Weather Observer/ IT Specialist   I’ve had quite a few days that have been very exciting up here on the summit over the last few years. I remember most days where we have gotten over 120 mph, but the day I first experienced it as an intern was the most memorable. It was on October 30th, 2015 when we had the remnant low of Hurricane Patricia pass near the summit. The high winds caught us off guard because the forecast only had gusts up to

Best Day(s) Ever, Part 3: Backpack Birthday Cake and the Number 127 2017-11-06 17:40:09.000 - Caleb Meute, Weather Observer / Meteorologist   Not to sound like a broken record, but my girlfriend Molly is kind of a big deal. People know her. She has many leather bound books and her apartment smells of rich mahogany (With a hint of cat… We have two cats). One of my most memorable days working on the Rockpile was my birthday July 16, 2016. It was Seek the Peak! Molly had raised money for the Observatory and would be summiting Mount Washington that day