Plymouth State Interns Go for a hike

2010-01-04 17:58:14.000 – Andrew Foley,  Plymouth State Intern

Kyle hiking towards Mt. Clay

As the week drew ever near to my internship at Mount Washington I began to wonder what it would be like and how things would turn out. Are you able to walk in 80 mph winds? Will I catch frostbite? How will the food be while I am up there? Well I have only been here for a few days now along with my fellow student and intern Kyle Itterly and we have discovered the answers to all these questions and more.

Kyle and I were in the Plymouth State University Meteorology program together when we found out that we would be going to the summit of Mount Washington to intern. For me it was especially exciting because it would be the first major event since completing school in the fall. I had spoken with a few students who had previously done the internship in years past, yet I still wasn’t positive what we were getting into. The first surprise came when we entered into the MWO Snowcat and it not only was heated, but had a TV. When we reached the top we were greeted by Brian and Mike, both observers here, and the carving of 2010 into rime that had formed on the building wall.

The past few days have been a blur with the excitement and disappointment of high winds on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Though 92mph winds was a first for me, but not quite in the 100+ category we were hoping for. I have learned that blowing snow and freezing fog is more common than I thought up here.

Other than the high winds, one of the other great things I have experienced was Kyle and my hike to Mt. Clay. As we were shoveling this morning we realized how nice of a day it was, you know small patches of blue sky and winds under 35mph, we decided it would be a great day to hike. When I say awe inspiring, I think my words could never justify. So I will try to give some clues as to the views we saw today.

As our time continues, I can only wait in anticipation for what is to come next. As far as the earlier questions, well, it is possible to endure 80 mph winds but it is nice to have something to hold onto. I haven’t caught frostbite yet, in fact, the shoveling and hiking have kept me quite warm. As far as the food is concerned, let’s just say I have never had such great meals on top of a mountain or even at school.

Andrew Foley,  Plymouth State Intern