Spring is Here

2014-05-12 20:01:51.000 – Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer

A Raven Playing in the Wind

After a brief hiatus from the summit, I enjoyed a beautiful ride up today on the Observatory’s first trip of the season to the summit without chains. After getting used to 70-degree snowless weather, I was amazing at how much snow is sticking around on the mountain! There was a towering 10-15 foot wall of snow next to the road in an area known for its drifts about halfway up. If the Mount Washington Auto Road didn’t dig down to the pavement each spring, the road would be unpassable by car for several more weeks. Thankfully, they’ve been hard at work and they are hoping to open the road up to the summit soon.

I got to the summit just in time to see my co-worker and the weekly volunteers helping to take the bulletproof storm windows out, replacing some of them with screens in preparation for summertime ‘heat’ and bugs. When you’ve spent a winter with temperatures dipping down to the -20s and wind chills pushing into the upper double-digits below, the 40-60 degree temperatures that we normally get in the summer feel like T-shirt weather to us!

Summer is coming! The Mount Washington Observatory’s event, Seek the Peak, is on July 18-19 this summer! Seek the Peak is the non-profit Mount Washington Observatory’s largest fundraising event of the year. Registrants are asked to raise a minimum of $200 as part of their participation and in turn they are awarded with fabulous prizes and more! Be one of the first 500 to raise $200 and earn a Seek the Peak Eastern Mountain Sports backpack! If you want to join in the fun, and have a great day of hiking, register today to start fundraising!

Mike Dorfman,  Weather Observer