Volunteer’s Thoughts

2013-01-09 22:00:12.000 – Adam Scott,  Summit Volunteer (Rhode Island)

Summit Sunset

Anytime that you have the opportunity to come to the summit of Mt. Washington, you never quite know what type of weather you will be greeted with. Being that this is my first winter week on the mountain as a summit volunteer, I had been wondering what type of weather I would encounter. I never could have imagined that the weather would be so varied and ever changing with each passing day.

Our summit ride up in the Snow Cat on Thursday gave us weather that we never could have dreamed of. The visibility was unbelievable and with every new bend on the Auto Road, the views kept getting more and more spectacular. Although I would have loved an entire week of weather like that, there was a part of me that wanted to see the mountain give us a full blast of winter weather and oh boy, did we get it!!!! Over the weekend, we had days when the winds were gusting in the mid-90s and visibility dropped to mere feet. I had thought that I had been in strong winds before but the mountain gave me a real taste of high winds with blasts of 96mph that literally threw me onto the deck…it was amazing!!! Other days this week gave us calmer winds, beautiful views of the valley, beautiful sunrises and spectacular sunsets. This week, Mt. Washington gave us a little bit of everything.

As a middle school science teacher, I have had the opportunity to videotape my experiences and teach my students from the Home of the World’s Worst Weather. My experiences on the mountain this week will be something that I will continue to share with them and one of my greatest hopes is that many of my students will visit the mountain this summer with their family as a result of my teaching. Then, they will be able to see, first hand, the beauty and majesty of this area.

I teach because I want to make a difference in the lives of my students. Being here this week, gives me the opportunity to teach them in such a unique way and I can never thank the Summit Crew enough for their help this week. Rebecca, Ryan and Roger were there all week to answer questions from an inquisitive middle school teacher, provide suggestions on what to film for my students, share their experiences with living and working up here and welcomed me to their home on the mountain for the week.

I strongly encourage everyone to become a member of the Mt. Washington Observatory and during this winter, spend some time at the Weather Discovery Center in North Conway. Learn more about the incredible work that this highly dedicated crew performs each day and learn more about the awesome power of this mountain. Spend some time on the slopes and if it is for you, apply to become a summit volunteer so that you can live this awesome experience for yourself.

Adam Scott,  Summit Volunteer (Rhode Island)