The Cold Shoulder

2007-01-17 08:15:21.000 – Norm Shippee,  Summit Intern

Summit Soccer

Its coming to then end of my stay here on the mountain, and it seems to have decided to give me the proverbial cold shoulder with temps below -30 and winds at 80+ miles per hour, causing wind chill values in the -70s or below. The weather up here has been as expected; cold, windy, and unpredictable. The snowfall from the other day as example; it has been a difficult winter to love snow and live in New England. Never before have I seen sleet pellets come down at 15 degrees and freezing rain at 16 degrees. To reference summit volunteers Yvonne and Marco Endara’s comment from a few weeks back, just wait a minute, because you never know what might happen.

Tonight, after a few waffles topped with strawberries and whipped cream, cooked up by the fabulous chef Steve Moore, the summit crew headed out to out makeshift arena for another game of soccer. With temperatures plummeting, it is difficult to get outside and enjoy the weather, so being inside playing soccer is good enough for us.

Looking back on these two weeks on top of the rockpile, I have many people to thank for my experiences up here. To all the summit staff and volunteers I interacted with as an intern, I thank you for everything you taught me and the chance to experience the different world that is the mountain.I leave you with the one thing I learned during my summit experience; sleeping can be an adventure on the summit, especially if Nin sleeps above you.

Norm Shippee,  Summit Intern