Winter is flying by!

2012-02-19 23:46:07.000 – Brian Clark,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist

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This winter really seems to be flying by. I can’t believe the calendar is already pushing its way toward March! Although winters are not busy with tons of tourists around the summit like the summer season is, they are busy for us here at the Observatory in other ways, which certainly lends largely to the feeling of winter getting away from me. This winter has been especially busy for me on the mountain for two reasons: Distance Learning, and the various trips that we host.

With regards to Distance Learning, this relatively new program for our organization has really taken off this school year. I have been fortunate enough to see the idea of Distance Learning start as a pilot program 6 years ago when I was an intern, then move onto development about 4 years ago, and now turn into the full-fledged, solid educational program that it is. It’s been very rewarding to see that process, and there’s been a lot of hard work from numerous people in the organization, and some that are no longer with the organization, to make it all happen. Exactly how much has the program taken off? Well, I can tell you that there have been numerous days when I am doing three programs during the course of the day, sometimes even three in a row. To quantify it a bit more, we have already done far more programs so far this school year than we did during the entire school year last year. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in our Distance Learning program, check out the link above, where you can learn more about the program and also contact someone for more information.

Then there are all the guests we have had coming and going, through our EduTrip program, DayTrip program, and various climbing schools that stay up for overnights. None of that is unusual, but what is unusual this year is the addition of two groups of German students, both in the month of February, that stay for an entire week. We have been housing a group of German students every year for quite some time now (with the exception of last year), but it is usually only one group. The second group arrived today, and I’m looking forward, as always, to getting to know the students more.

Things will slow down a little bit in the next month or so, so here’s hoping that winter doesn’t get away from me too quickly. Well, that is as long as it’s going to snow some more!

Brian Clark,  Weather Observer/Education Specialist