New Team, Same Dream!

2018-06-23 11:42:12.000 – Ian Bailey, Weather Observer/Education Specialist

 

As we enter the final days of June, our shift is looking forward to the big event next month! Seek the Peak 2018 will be happening on July 20^th and 21rst, and is gearing up to be another amazing hike-a-thon! Our crew, comprised of our Shift Leader Adam Gill, Education Specialist Ian Bailey, Night Observer Chris Hohman, and our Interns Zach Butler, Emily Tunkel, and Ben Seleb, have come together to create a new team to conquer the climb this July. Team Virgalicious is raising money for the observatory through this annual hike-a-thon, as we all recognize how important the Obs is and how amazing and unique Mount Washington is. Allow me to introduce you to our team, and let them share a small dose of their experience in working with the Obs with you!

Adam has been with the Observatory going on 3 years this August. Winter is his favorite season, with frequent high winds and plenty of blizzards. The summers are tolerated with plenty of time spent outside enjoying the weather when it is nice, and being able to interact with all the different people that come up and visit each summer! The past few weeks have been hectic with training all the new people, but we are all fast learners! And he is excited to have a full, enthusiastic crew to work with!

Ian is on his second shift as a full time Weather Observer and Education Special for the observatory. Living out his dream of working as a meteorologist, he has found adjusting to mountain life to be truly fun and enjoyable. On top of recording the hourly observations and creating/overseeing forecasts, Ian has been learning and preparing to give Live from the Rockpile broadcasts and Distance Learning events for his shift. And on top of it all, he enjoys “being back at his mountain home. Every day is a new adventure, with new things to learn and exciting things to see! It’s wonderful!”

Christopher is on his second shift as an observer. He has enjoyed getting back into the swing of things on top of the Rockpile. The welcoming atmosphere has been incredibly kind and helpful to him as he learns the ropes of being the night observer. Living out his passion to be a meteorologist has been a dream come true. To do that on the greatest mountain on Earth has been the icing on the cake. He hopes to see record breaking winds and storms soon!

Zach is on his third shift at the top this summer after graduating this spring from SUNY Oswego with a meteorology major. He has wanted to be on top working here since he was a young boy, fascinated with the extreme weather atop the mountain. So far, he has enjoyed the experiences with forecasting for the challenging environment and educating the public. The highlight of his time up here was his first week when the summit experienced sustained 80 mph winds as well as flying saucer lenticular clouds!

Emily is also on her second shift for this summer. During the school-year, she attends Brown University studying Astronomy and Mathematics. On the summit, she is currently researching fog climatology while also learning more about meteorology and weather forecasting. Some of her favorite things on Mount Washington (so far) have been getting to see the Milky Way, all the stars in the sky, the Hays Chart, and of course Marty the cat.

Ben has now completed almost half of his summer internship here at the Mount Washington Observatory. A mechanical engineering student, Ben has been learning a plethora of weather facts and forecasting skills during his stay. His favorite part of working here, he says, “is the contrast between the Observatory and its surrounding environment. There’s no workplace quite like it; immediately accessible scientific knowledge and technology, combined with the adventure and extreme conditions available just outside our front door”.

Everyone on our crew has enjoyed working together, and we all have become fast friends! Our shared interests and passions have created a very solid work environment up here in the Obs. And all of the work that we do, from weather observation, to forecasting, to research, and even observatory maintenance can at times prove to be challenging. But at the end of the day, no matter how challenging it may be, all of it is incredibly rewarding and beneficial! And none of it would be possible without the very generous donations and funding the observatory has received from so many caring individuals over the years. We hope that you will consider donating to our cause, especially during our Seek the Peak event this July, so that we may continue our proud 86-year history of weather observation here at the Mount Washington Observatory. And hopefully you will consider supporting our team of summit observers and interns, Team Virgalicious, here!

We look forward to seeing you with us here on the summit July 21st! Safe travels and happy hiking!

Thank you all so much for your support!

 

Ian Bailey, Weather Observer/Education Specialist