salida
New member
So, I returned to the top after a summer's worth of interning. And what a return it was.
I was helping teach one of the Edutrips on Glacial Geology, so we left the base at 9 am with 5 edutrippers in tow, myself, my professor, mike (a fellow former intern) and Wayne the snow cat driver. About 45 and raining at the bottom, yet we had reports of extreme weather up top... We got to about 3500 feet and that?s when everything changed... The road had been snow-covered all the way up but now the rain was freezing to the ground, the trees, and the snow cat. Very extreme. After we passed the drifted (30 ft in places) section of the road we drove along the ever ominous plummet into the great gulf. As we got towards the top (home stretch with those who are familiar with the road) the road became bare and windblown, with sleet flying around in 60 mph winds. Man does that sting the face. Yet, we'd made it to the top in a fairly uneventful ride.
We got to the top and the sleet eventually turned over to freezing rain with a temp of 21. Rime was coating everything and accumulating at a rate of 3-4 in per hour. Making for some very spectacular de-icing.
My prime motive of the trip was to help teach the edutrip yet as the conditions got worse I mostly helped de-ice and help with obs as the weather warranted more than one person de-icing and taking obs.
As the afternoon wore on things got more and more extreme, the ice was getting extremely thick and the wind was kicking up. We went outside to de-ice but this time there was about 8 inches on everything, and 5ft by 8in blocks were being whacked off of everything, and let me tell you when they fly at you at 95mph they hurt pretty bad. Definitely helmet weather.
That night we were outside getting the precip can with crampons and 95 mph winds, when all the sudden we see a flash. OH SHIT we think snow lightning and we go running, like school girls. 4 Grown men running, in the middle of the night, with crampons, on pure ice, in 95 mph winds, what a sight we must have been. Turns out it wasn?t snow lightning, it was one of the edutrippers flashes from inside. HA did we feel foolish.
Things eventually warmed to 33 overnight, helping as we didn't have to deice. The food as always was stellar at the top, homemade coffee cake on arrival, homemade chicken pot pie for lunch, lasagna (with awesome sausage) for dinner, homemade pancakes and sausage for bfast. What a feast we had. The edutrippers (and members of the obs) definitely got their share of extreme weather in addition to learning about glacial geology.
And last but not least, the next morning we awoke to a surprise, things had DROPPED below freezing again and huge sleet pellets were being rocketed at your head. Some of the most extreme weather I have ever been in. Not to mention all the snow is being undermined by 2 inches of wet/slush precip. Makes for horrible conditions, especially for the snow cat. After about two hours of sleet, we go outside to make sure nothing needs to be shoveled, and we get to the lower doors to find, 8 foot high drifts of sleet. Now this isn?t normal shoveling, to start you are getting pounded by sleet in high winds and its freekin freezing. Not to mention that a shovel full of sleet weights about 40 lbs, now try shoveling like that for 45 min. Man was it a production, but awful fun.
We ended up getting down the mountain, releasing ice damn all the way down with the snow cat, water squirting everywhere.
Ok, I have ranted long enough. But if you like the OBS and think it is a worthwhile organization I suggest you check out membership, they are a non profit, and almost solely funded by their members. It really is a great place, with great intentions and they do great work! Mount Washington
If you guys have any questions about the mountain, as always I'm more than happy to try to answer them.
-porter
I was helping teach one of the Edutrips on Glacial Geology, so we left the base at 9 am with 5 edutrippers in tow, myself, my professor, mike (a fellow former intern) and Wayne the snow cat driver. About 45 and raining at the bottom, yet we had reports of extreme weather up top... We got to about 3500 feet and that?s when everything changed... The road had been snow-covered all the way up but now the rain was freezing to the ground, the trees, and the snow cat. Very extreme. After we passed the drifted (30 ft in places) section of the road we drove along the ever ominous plummet into the great gulf. As we got towards the top (home stretch with those who are familiar with the road) the road became bare and windblown, with sleet flying around in 60 mph winds. Man does that sting the face. Yet, we'd made it to the top in a fairly uneventful ride.
We got to the top and the sleet eventually turned over to freezing rain with a temp of 21. Rime was coating everything and accumulating at a rate of 3-4 in per hour. Making for some very spectacular de-icing.
My prime motive of the trip was to help teach the edutrip yet as the conditions got worse I mostly helped de-ice and help with obs as the weather warranted more than one person de-icing and taking obs.
As the afternoon wore on things got more and more extreme, the ice was getting extremely thick and the wind was kicking up. We went outside to de-ice but this time there was about 8 inches on everything, and 5ft by 8in blocks were being whacked off of everything, and let me tell you when they fly at you at 95mph they hurt pretty bad. Definitely helmet weather.
That night we were outside getting the precip can with crampons and 95 mph winds, when all the sudden we see a flash. OH SHIT we think snow lightning and we go running, like school girls. 4 Grown men running, in the middle of the night, with crampons, on pure ice, in 95 mph winds, what a sight we must have been. Turns out it wasn?t snow lightning, it was one of the edutrippers flashes from inside. HA did we feel foolish.
Things eventually warmed to 33 overnight, helping as we didn't have to deice. The food as always was stellar at the top, homemade coffee cake on arrival, homemade chicken pot pie for lunch, lasagna (with awesome sausage) for dinner, homemade pancakes and sausage for bfast. What a feast we had. The edutrippers (and members of the obs) definitely got their share of extreme weather in addition to learning about glacial geology.
And last but not least, the next morning we awoke to a surprise, things had DROPPED below freezing again and huge sleet pellets were being rocketed at your head. Some of the most extreme weather I have ever been in. Not to mention all the snow is being undermined by 2 inches of wet/slush precip. Makes for horrible conditions, especially for the snow cat. After about two hours of sleet, we go outside to make sure nothing needs to be shoveled, and we get to the lower doors to find, 8 foot high drifts of sleet. Now this isn?t normal shoveling, to start you are getting pounded by sleet in high winds and its freekin freezing. Not to mention that a shovel full of sleet weights about 40 lbs, now try shoveling like that for 45 min. Man was it a production, but awful fun.
We ended up getting down the mountain, releasing ice damn all the way down with the snow cat, water squirting everywhere.
Ok, I have ranted long enough. But if you like the OBS and think it is a worthwhile organization I suggest you check out membership, they are a non profit, and almost solely funded by their members. It really is a great place, with great intentions and they do great work! Mount Washington
If you guys have any questions about the mountain, as always I'm more than happy to try to answer them.
-porter