Yes, the cog does create a lot of pollution and all of the soot that has fallen into the rocks is not a pretty sight, much less the long-term pollution that it has created. Yet, in the same breath, if every four people that ride the cog up traveled in a car instead, the car would still be far more harmful to the atmosphere and the high alpine environment. This being said, the cog is far better for the area, theoretically. One of the main differences between the cog and the road is the blatant pollution of the cog. Yes, the smoke is in the air, and if there is no wind (very irregular) it can be a challenge to collect air quality measurements. However, this is very very rare.
My general take on the Mount Washington tourism industry, was at first bad. I felt that people should not be on the mountain if they could not ascend on their own power. I felt very fervently about this. However, once I started working on the Mountain and seeing the people that were their, I came to a realization. If we have to sacrifice one mountain for the general public to experience something that they would not normally get to do, then it is worth it. No, this is not the typical environmentalist view, nor is it highly accepted in the hiking and skiing world. But seeing the joy and excitement of the people that would never normally get to experience a high alpine environment is worth the sacrifice of one mountain. As obtrusive as the cog and auto road are, they are the necessity that brings tourists to the top of the mountain. If this is the cost of millions of people over the years visiting the mountain, then yes I believe it is worth it.
However, I do think, the cog especially, could do a much better job maintaining their property. They scatter coal and rail road wood all over the mountain next to the tracks. I think they should switch over to a more efficient fuel as well. There is definitely room for improvement. I am also definitely against the cog clearing extra land to make a ski slope, especially when they are going to be charging astronomical amounts for it.
Hopefully, I eventually will get some winter time up there. Right now I'm still in school which makes it hard to get away for large amounts of time in the winter, we shall see.
Not to create a promotion at this point, but I feel the Observatory is a very worthwhile organization, which is entirely nonprofit being predominantly funded by members of the Observatory. In addition to supporting the Observatory through monetary compensation, there are also many perks to being a member - overnight educational trips in the summer and the winter, opportunities to be a volunteer for a week on the mountain, and a subscription to the mountains quarterly news bulletin.
If you guys have any more questions I'd be more than happy to answer them for you!
Porter
-These are my views and in no way should they reflect upon the Observatory itself.
