Successful Experiment and Storms-a-Brewin

2014-07-22 19:18:36.000 – Caleb Meute,  Summit Intern

Boom Goes the Watermelon

SUCCESS! Well it took more than a few rubber bands to reach watermelon carnage, but it happened. Kaitlyn made the start of the experiment easy on us by purchasing ‘only’ 6 bags of rubber bands of various sizes. You might think these bags would contain maybe a few different sizes, but our friends at ‘the rubber band store’ (identity hidden) think closer to 15 different sizes would be just right. We sorted these out by each individual size because we thought it would be better to keep consistency. Turns out, that may have been the difference. We refused to accept the outcome of our last failed attempt at watermelon annihilation.

The day turned to night on Monday, and we marched up to the deck where Ryan had set up a little studio for us, surrounded by spotlights. I’m not sure how long it took exactly, but it felt like an eternity. Kaitlyn also happened to have purchased the only body builder watermelon, which was obviously trained to withstand rubber band torture for as long as possible. Nonetheless, the water began to pour out and tiny cracks began forming on the top of the watermelon. As the cracks expanded, I felt the need to put another rubber band around its core. Right as I got it to where it was supposed to be, the watermelon split in half sending the top flipping through the air towards those who were watching several feet away. This, by the way, must have been the most well documented watermelon experiment of all time. We have several dedicated photographers and videographers on this shift who risked their own equipment in order to film this chaotic remake of Fruit Ninja. From the attached picture, you may notice my severe distrust of safety glasses, as I had apparently forgotten they were covering my eyes.

The week has been a wonderful one, as high pressure has done its best to keep the summits in a dome of settled weather. This allowed for perfect conditions for our Seek the Peak event, which was a great success! While I’m on this subject, Hart’s Turkey Farm, thank you for ruining all of my following Thanksgiving dinners as they simply will not compare. Seriously, thank you though because that food was incredible.

This stable weather also allowed Arielle and I to go for another hike. This time we decided to traverse over to the summit of Mt. Jefferson. While the hike was a blast, I realized the extreme importance of water. Towards the end of our hike near the Mt. Washington summit cone, my legs cramped up on me and requested that I never hike again. I did not oblige however, and I will in fact hike again.

Be sure to check our Higher Summits Forecast. Severe thunderstorms will traverse the region tomorrow as a passing cold front looks to generate some strong instability. These storms could bring heavy rain, large hail, sudden gusts of wind, and frequent lightning. Please reconsider your plans tomorrow afternoon so you do not get caught outdoors. Remember, you can be struck by lightning even if you are far enough from the storm to not hear thunder.

Observer Footnote: The Mount Washington Observatory will be hosting the sixth annual Science in the Mountains lecture series this summer! This free, informative lecture series is open to the public. The next presentation, Weather Through the Lens, will be Wednesday, July 23rd! We hope to see you there!

 

Caleb Meute,  Summit Intern

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