#MT WASHINGTON OBSERVATORY SKIN#

Scholand, a native of Long Island who arrived at the summit in 2010 as an intern, said Marty would dole out his affections in a uniquely feline way. – Via Mount Washington ObservatoryĮven with the risks associated with the work, or the strange conditions-Bellefontaine said that “entire shifts” sometimes go by where cloud cover is so thick she almost doesn’t see the sun-observers have adapted to it.Ms.

You have to make sure you’re covered up and in very limited exposure because frostbite can set in pretty quickly in those types of conditions.” Observatory interns shovel snow and rime ice on a recent morning, keeping the thermo shack and A-frame clear. “It was a little painful and it turns red pretty quickly. “I remember being up on the tower de-icing in cold weather and my glove just being blown up out of my jacket and that little bit of exposed wrist was just immediately felt,” she remembered. You’ll feel it immediately.”īellefontaine recalled one moment when she was going through a regular task of breaking up ice accumulation on the observatory.

#MT WASHINGTON OBSERVATORY SKIN#

An obvious necessity is to have no skin exposed. “I have like three jackets on, we have lots and lots of layers, goggles, mask, the whole thing,” she detailed. “There have been times where I’ve come down and our night observer is almost kind of having a conversation with him, like a back-and-forth.”Įach day, after taking over from the nighttime shift, Bellefontaine explained what it feels like to head out into subzero temperatures. “He has so much personality,” Bellefontaine said of Nimbus. On top of a practical role (catching mice), the cats have helped keep observers company over the decades. “Actually one of my favorite things that I learned when I was giving one of my first presentations on our 231 mph event was that in addition to observers, there were like four cats and five kittens I believe in that building as well and they outnumbered the people,” she added. Nimbus is far from the first cat to find a home atop Mount Washington. “He has a lot of kitten energy still,” she noted. Two observers work the day shift, with one handling the nighttime.Īlong with interns and visitors (reduced in recent times due to the pandemic), the other member of the team is Nimbus, a cat who Bellefontaine estimated was “about a year old.” “We kind of have like a little family-style dinner, which I guess is also breakfast from the night observer,” Bellefontaine said of end-of-shift meals. When not braving the cold and wind to make hourly notes, observers have carved out a lifestyle living on top of New England. “That’s definitely like Mount Washington in the winter time. “I was always interested by dynamic environments, especially ones that can sometimes be similar to Arctic environments,” said Bellefontaine. Having studied earth sciences at the University of Maine, the job of an observer on Mount Washington aligns with her particular focus. “I definitely did not expect to have a job this cool,” she joked.

In harsher conditions, observers are permitted to space out checking the precipitation can over longer periods of time for safety.ĭespite the occasional challenges of the role, Bellefontaine-who has been at the observatory for a year-said she relishes the uniqueness of the position. “Once you get past that break at the end of the building, you’re for the most part, depending on the direction of the wind, feeling it pretty hard.”

“It’s out there in the open,” Bellefontaine noted.

The only part of the routine that can’t be accomplished in the safety of the A-frame is the precipitation can (which has to be in its own area for accuracy). “Even just the size of the observer, you know, because someone who’s much smaller might only be able to go up to like 90 mph winds.”Ī metal A-frame built on the observatory helps protect anyone venturing outside from high winds and ice. “Everyone kind of has their thresholds that they’re comfortable with and that has a lot to do with the observer’s experience,” said Bellefontaine. Given the frequently occurring inclement conditions, observers have safety measures to follow. To conduct observations, it ideally requires going outdoors at the summit. On those days, as Bellefontaine put it, “we can’t even really see across the deck, which is a 16th of a mile.” More often than not, however, visibility is restricted due to constant cloud cover. On a clear day, observers can see as far as 130 miles away. “We’re looking at things such as precipitation, temperature, sky variables or sky condition, like what the clouds are doing around us, and visibility.” “Officially every hour on the hour we’re going out and taking weather observations,” Bellefontaine explained.

Mt washington observatory