Mount Washington Edutrip…Almost…
Spring often brings some of the greatest contrasts between valley and summit of any point during the year. This past weekend provided a perfect example of almost unimaginable incongruity, for while valley temperatures climbed into the forties under clear skies, the summit of Mount Washington was enshrouded in a blizzard, with temperatures below zero and winds at times over 90 mph.
As a former meteorologist and weather observer at the Mount Washington Observatory, the mountain is more than oft on my mind, it’s in my blood. As a nature photographer, the peak has been a focus of much of my artistic pursuit, and this past weekend, I was set to lead an EduTrip on photography at the summit station. These trips provide provide participants a unique opportunity to ride up on the snowcat and spend a night at the top of the mountain, and to experience all the power that the mountain can unleash up close. Preparations for the trip began almost a year ago, when I selected the last winter trip of the season to hedge against brutal cold temperatures, and allow the group to spend more time engaging in the landscape. But the mountain had other plans!
Eighteen inches of snow had fallen during the week prior, all under relatively light winds by the mountain’s standards. Now all that snow was on the move, creating a ground blizzard on the upper slopes. We put on an optimistic front to the group as we boarded the snowcat and began to ascend the road. The first four miles were easy travel. Snow fell lightly while the sun peaked in and out of racing clouds above.
When we reached treeline, and the conditions instantly changed as the operator put the blade down to flatten out the drifts covering the road. The next mile took an hour as conditions worsened, and as we turned onto a point in the road known as Cragway, we knew the odds of making it to the summit would be slim. Coupled with 50mph winds now pointed at the windshield moving absurd amounts of snow down the mountain…and the decision to put safety first and turn around came easy. But we didn’t leave without allowing the participants to truly experience the rational for the decision. They all were impressed by the power of the mountain as they stepped out of the cat into a vacant landscape.
I dared not take my good camera out of the bag, and the first picture my cell phone snapped was just a blank white canvas, undoubtedly aimed away from the intended subject by a large gust. This was the second and only other shot, from atop a fourteen foot drift looking down towards the snowcat a mere ten feet away.
Ground Blizzard at the Turn Around Point
Conditions and stories like these are what draw people to Mount Washington, and why the Observatory is such an important institution recording and studying the weather at the top. I will wait until they predict a slightly nicer day though before I plan to visit again…
[...] arrived at the summit to record warmth, a far cry from my failed trip last year, and immediately went for a walk around the summit, taking pictures of each other in grand scenes. [...]