The Week-On/Week-Off Lifestyle

2014-08-06 17:07:49.000 – Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist

Washington from Mt. Isolation

Working as an observer on the summit of Mount Washington, life is far from any semblance of what most would consider ‘normal.’ There’s the unique living environment, the not-so-typical commute, and then there’s that crazy weather that we like to harp on.

One of the more interesting facets to summit life is the week-on/week-off work schedule–something that is necessitated by the extreme environment we find ourselves in.

As one can imagine, keeping such a schedule does have its advantages, and some drawbacks as well. Being atop the summit for a week at a time keeps you isolated from your friends and family in the valleys below. However, it does allow you to grow close with your co-workers, which very often develops into a ‘summit family’ of sorts.

Of course, the pros to having 6 consecutive days off are fairly implicit, but one that really came to the forefront for me last week was vacation time. A week off from work is always a nice rest, but in week-on/week-off territory, taking one shift off gives you three consecutive weeks (21 days!) removed from the hustle and bustle of the job.

Having just returned from such a vacation stint, I can say this amount of time away is an awfully nice battery recharge, and gave me the opportunity to travel quite a bit, hike even more, and just rest when desired! But it also made me personally look forward to delving back into work after being absent for so long!

Mike Carmon,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist