volunteer notes

2008-07-02 07:59:08.000 – Beth and Sandra,  Summit Volunteers

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Fog, fog, intermittent fog, fog and those precious sunshine minutes…. It was hard to remember that it’s a warm, humid summer in the valley when we were on the Obs deck in fleece and windproof gear, but it was well worth the experience on the summit to give up a few of those precious warm days. The Obs is a world unto itself with a relaxed but disciplined team that make the next weather observation no matter what obstacles or distractions present themselves. The observers and interns here help bring you weather forecasts by feeding data to the National Weather Service at Gray, Maine, sending forecasts to the AMC and local radio stations, creating Obscasts, doing interactive Q&As with visitors at the Weather Discovery Center in North Conway, and other daily tasks. Sitting in the weather room, you’re likely to be entertained by Marty, everyone’s favorite cat, or by weather station alerts of impending storms as you enter historic weather data from the big black book into the B16 database. It seemed a fair trade to exchange kitchen skills for the opportunity to view sunrises, sunsets, thunderstorms, fog rolling in every open door and window, and to share the weekly routine with these folks on the summit. It was a ‘working’ holiday I will remember and one I would repeat. When you come to Mt Washington this summer, visit Deb in the Obs museum and shop, and become an Obs member so you can meet Jeff or Lisa for a tour and see what life is like for Steve, Stacey and Mike as weather observers. Happy Canada Day to friends and family north of the border. xxoo

Beth and Sandra,  Summit Volunteers