SPRING!

2007-05-08 19:54:13.000 – Jon Cotton,  Observer

Deep Hues of the Northeast

SPRING!

At 4:58am Monday May 07 I heard my first twittering spring bird. At 5:56 the next hour I saw a flittering bird settling on a rock. You might assume given those times that I was taking an observation. But no, Kyle was on shift. He was business. I was pleasure. For some reason I felt compelled to continue the hourly ritual. It turns out that 120 mile vis, alto clouds and sunrise aren’t so bad a combination. Work is tough.

Looking out the window shows the snowpack is melting. The valleys honestly look differently to me than what I’ve come accustomed to. Whitefield and Jefferson look sharp in their springtime garb. Route 2 cuts a dashing profile through the hills and trees. You folks on the coast have shown some very distinguished horizon lights in recent nights. As seasons change, new geography stands up to be noticed while other locales settle down for a rest. Killington and Pico have lost that sunset afterglow. Mansfield is exiting stage left as we speak. I wait with nothing but eagerness to see Cherry Pond sparkle its water in the late summer twilight. Amongst the change there is always something new to appreciate.

Seasons don’t always transition easily though. On this mountain I don’t think they ever do. Snow last fall loaded the road solid before anyone expected it. The nor’easter a couple weeks back has left a solid mark here on the website. Things are easing now that we’ve all pushed through. And by ‘all’ I mean the mountain community and much more them than us. State Park has cleaned and sealed the cafeteria floor, setup the tables and begun the summer switch-over of water systems. The plywood walls and airlock at the entrance to the Sherman Adams building are coming down. Mike Pelchat drove up in a truck Saturday night. I walked into it getting the precip can. My reaction could have been an equally good start to this comment. Something like this, “TRUCK!” The Cog Railway has cleared all remaining drifts off the track and made their first trip of 2007. The Mount Washington Auto Road has been working straight out to open the road. This involves a snowcat, trucks, graders, backhoes, dump trucks, people, people with shovels and more. It’s a lot of work and I’ve been keeping tabs on their blog. Read about the Road as well as Great Glen Trail’s outdoor opportunities. Ryan, I own six backpacks, seven if you count my old one. What I need is a tent. I’ve been tent shopping for three years and I don’t think my friends really appreciate that conversation anymore. I hear you on the spreadsheet; I made a database once. Should we even talk about this on a public forum?

Next topic…The Road is open daily to treeline. State Park will be open this weekend. The Cog should be running as well. So block out a weekend y’all and come visit this place before it turns all summery. Spring comes but once a year and from New York to the Atlantic you will see a sight both unique and timeless.

Jon Cotton,  Observer