Reflections

2008-01-05 22:13:45.000 – Cathy Radonic,  (Former) Summit Intern

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As I sat and tried to think of a word to describe how I felt while driving to the base of the mountain this morning, I realized there wasn’t a single good word (not even a big SAT one) to sum up everything. I was excited, anxious, curious, and when I saw the towering snow covered Mt. Washington from Rt. 16 in North Conway, I was almost in pure awe. I had to reassure myself: “That’s where you’re going. Yes, up there.” Once I got to the base, and was sure enough the snowy peak was in fact where I was headed, I began wondering once again what the top would be like in the dead of winter.

I was expecting a desolate summit, coming up in the wintertime, but there was still a bit of hustle and bustle today atop the northeast’s highest point. The summit was spotted with hikers and people as the snowcat (or as I think of it, the life-size Tonka truck) pulled up to the Sherman Adams building; the German students who had been visiting and conducting experiments on the mountain descended today, which was the reason Lynn and I were able to hitch a ride up in the snowcat. It was odd to see the State Park lobby and food court, though, completely empty of people during the middle of the day.

For as different as the circumstances are now in the wintertime, as I come as a visitor instead of an intern, the observatory still has the same old feel it did over the summer. Besides the winter gear I wore as I walked through the door to the living quarters, it could have been any other shift I worked over the summer, and I felt at home. I know that the next three days will fly by though, and before I know it, Wednesday will be here to bring me back to reality, or as some people call it, the valley.

Cathy Radonic,  (Former) Summit Intern