How's the Weather Up There?
It might be cold in Boston, but don't complain to Ryan Buckley, 20, a college intern at the Mount Washington Observatory whose job includes clearing ice and snow from instruments - in winds greater than 100 m.p.h.
Why would anyone want to intern at the summit of Mount Washington in winter, which is said to have "the world's worst weather"?
To experience it. The winds up here get going pretty good. I've already experienced gusts up to 110 miles per hour.
And the temperature?
With the windchill factor, it's gotten down to negative 60.
Do you stay cozy inside?
No, we have to go outside to do observations. We have to look at visibility and, if it's snowing outside, we have to check the particle size. We also have to look at the thermometers.
Do the thermometers still work when it's that cold?
Yup. I just have to rub the ice off. Sometimes it's a bit of a challenge. The thermometers are in a hood, so the ice doesn't get to them too much. But walking around and trying to look at what the clouds are doing, that's probably the most challenging thing when the winds are high.
How do you get up to the summit?
The auto road is closed. We take a snowcat up. It takes anywhere from an hour to five hours, depending on the snowdrifts.
Do you see a steady stream of hikers on the summit during this time of year?
On nice days, they're up here in the droves. It's dangerous. The weather can change at the snap of your fingers. You have to be prepared to spend the night, even if you think you're going to the summit on a day trip.
What's your typical day like on the mountain?
I usually wake up at 5:30 and check e-mails from people who have questions about the summit. I also do some shoveling and daily checks of the water usage and the fuel amounts. Then I spend some time on my projects. I'm kind of composing the title right now, but it has to do with avalanches.
Predictability of avalanches?
That's the idea right now, but it could change. Then I go on weather observations. I shadow the observers and get the visibility, temperatures, and precipitation amount. We do that every hour, 10 minutes before the hour.
Where do you sleep?
Bunk rooms. In each room, there's three to six beds. It's kinda close quarters [chuckles].
How many days altogether are you on the mountain?
Eight days on and six days off, from January 9th to May 9th.
What do you say to all those college students who are currently taking a semester abroad in London, Paris, and Florence while you're chipping away at the ice?
Hey, it's a whole 'nother world up here, too. You can spend all that money to go overseas, but the change is really right in your backyard.
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