Aurora on the Summit 2015-06-23 17:31:29.000 - Michael Dorfman, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   Last night’s show was absolutely incredible. While we don’t forecast aurora events here on the summit, we were waiting in anticipation for a good chance of seeing an aurora if we cleared. We were forecasted to be in the fog all evening, so we didn’t have high hopes that we would see much. Surprisingly, right around sunset, the fog cleared off the summit, giving us a beautiful view to the North. Staring into the dusky northern skies as the sun set, I was imagining what was happening,

A Busy Weekend 2015-06-20 18:10:14.000 - Kaitlyn O'Brien, Co-Director of Summit Operations   What a perfect day for the Mount Washington Road Race! Year after year it’s still amazing to watch these individuals challenge themselves to the 7.6 mile hillclimb to the summit. This year, the fastest runner made an impressive time of 58:15. Congratulations to all of those who ran today! In addition to the Road Race, there are several additional activities going on this weekend. Later this evening, the Auto Road will hold a private event “MINIs on Top”, when the summit will be inundated with all kinds

Another Week at 6,288 feet! 2015-06-18 10:13:30.000 - Thailynn Munroe, Summit Intern   As my second shift week on the summit comes to a close, I can’t believe how fast the weeks go by. I feel like it was yesterday that I was up here in April for my final interview, when there was snow and ice everywhere and the wind chill was in the negative 30s. Each week I learn more about the summit and its history, as well as meet the most amazing and interesting people. This week, one of our volunteers was related to Bob Monahan, one

Seek The Peak Is Coming 2015-06-16 17:14:19.000 - Michael Kyle, Weather Observer/IT Specialist   As Seek the Peak is quickly approaching it is getting to be the time to start preparing for all the hiking that will be going on that day. Mike Carmon our shift leader and member of “The Watchers on the Wall” has taken it upon himself to start making sure that his teammates are prepared for the hiking that is ahead of us. You can see in our new Seek the Peak video that Mike gets everyone on his shift up and moving around. While some

Feeling Under the Cast 2015-06-16 06:15:25.000 - Mike Carmon, Co-Director of Summit Operations   There’s those mornings of summit life when I wake up to a stubborn fog bank--nothing to see but grey, and nothing to feel but a soupy mist rolling by my face. Then, we have those clear mornings, with some clouds above, and visibility spanning for over one-hundred miles. It's a nice reminder that we're not an island in the fog up here, but just one single part of a grandiose landscape called the White Mountains. This morning's scene, however, consisted of one of the more spectacular

Great Weather Ahead! 2015-06-13 20:53:10.000 - Nathan Flinchbaugh, Summit Intern               The summer season at Mount Washington is now in full swing. The Cog and the Auto Road are open, as well as our Extreme Mount Washington gift shop and museum downstairs. School is letting out and the first bouts of summer heat and humidity have made their appearance in the Northeast. I’ve always considered June to be one of the most enjoyable times of the year. The feeling of summer warmth is apparent, but the mugginess of July and August has yet to dig its heels in permanently.

Reflections From A Pair Of Summit Volunteers 2015-06-09 17:12:23.000 - Ruth Innes & Martha Seymour, Summit Volunteers   People may wonder why one would want to spend a week on the top of the highest mountain in the northeast. Certainly a visit of a few hours makes sense, but why a week? The weather is often cloudy, cold, wet, and windy, with a few days of sunshine and calm. I have had people ask all sorts of questions about what we do as a volunteer with the Mt. Washington Observatory. Questions range from: “Do you get altitude sickness?” to: “Aren’t

New to the Summit and Loving It! 2015-06-08 17:58:17.000 - Elena Weinberg, Summit Intern   I’m a few days into my first shift week on the summit and am thrilled to be here! I feel so lucky to have come up on such a clear morning. The view was breathtaking on the way up!     After a short time in the clouds, the weekend turned out to be beautiful, so I explored some of the trails around the summit, hiking down to Lakes of the Clouds, up to Mt. Monroe, and a short way down the Tuckerman Ravine Trail.

It's Great to be Back! 2015-06-06 21:56:23.000 - Kaitlyn O'Brien, Co-Director of Summit Operations   After taking a shift off for vacation, I found myself itching to get back up to the Rockpile! Aside from a lot less snow, there are some other notable changes that I encountered upon my return. The summit museum is now open daily and the gift shop is fully stocked! The Cog Railway and the Auto Road are both in full operation and we’re seeing lots of visitors up here. If you’re looking for a great way to experience all the summit has to offer,

Researchers Getting Their Feet Wet – Literally! 2015-06-04 17:48:27.000 - Eric Kelsey, Director of Research   My PSU Meteorology graduate student, Matt Cann, and I have embarked on an exciting summer field project to learn more about how topography influences the spatial distribution of precipitation. We are using the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF) as our study location due to the network of 25 precipitation gauges that have been there for over 40 years. Matt’s inspection of this dataset has revealed that during precipitation events of >1.5 cm with a south wind, the precipitation amounts decrease with elevation - opposite