New Hampshire’s Mount Washington made National news recently, once again flexing its notoriety as the “home of the World’s worst weather”. On February 4th, 2023, the summit of Mount Washington reached -47 F with a wind chill value approaching -110 F. It was said to be as cold at the top of New England as it is on the surface of Mars.
Mount Washington and its summit are well known for its erratic weather and extreme conditions, but did you know the top of the mountain is also home to a State Park?
Mount Washington State Park compromises of 60.3 acres of the summit area, which at 6,288’ is the highest peak in the northeastern US. You may also be interested to learn that the summit is staffed and maintained 24 hours per day, every single day of the year by State Park staff, who must manage the facilities, systems, buildings, and summit grounds in this wild environment.
While many people identify the Mount Washington Observatory with the summit of Mount Washington, the non-profit “MWObs” is in fact a tenant of the State Park, leasing work and living space within the State Park visitor center to conduct their own 24/7, 365 day round the clock mission of studying and reporting on the mountain-top weather. The MWObs carries out the important work of researching and tracking the weather and providing critical forecasts for the exposed summit area and surrounding peaks.
Meanwhile, the Mount Washington State Park staff acts as the caretakers of the summit and providing all of the visitor services. The Park’s operating season is from mid-May to mid-October during which time the Park welcomes over 350,000 people from all over the world. Guests can either arrive on the Mount Washington Auto Road, the Mount Washington Cog Railway, or on the hiking trails.
But what happens in the winter months? If the Park’s buildings are closed and there’s no visitor services provided, why have the Park staffed at all?
In the off-season, the Mount Washington State Park crew shifts more to a “caretaker” type of role. While we are still available to assist with hiker emergencies and search and rescue responses as needed, the main focus of the few park staff who work through the winter is to maintain (and sometimes repair) the fuel and water systems, the electrical power, the wastewater treatment plant, and to assist with the needs of our tenants. The MWObs is not the only tenant at the summit. The State Park is also home to a variety of communications tenants. The Park staff is responsible for providing security, oversight, and as needed, troubleshooting and information gathering to a host of State and Federal organizations along with private tenants who host important communications equipment and infrastructure at the summit.
In between, the Mount Washington State Park staff is hard at work doing maintenance and improvement projects and preparing for the next busy operating season. Images of Jack Torrance and the Outlook Hotel may start coming to mind, but the State Park staff work off a shorter schedule. A 4 day on, 3 day off rotation is what is typically done, however that fickle Mount Washington weather does not always cooperate. Park Staff can be forced to work unexpectedly pro-longed shifts due to the inability for the SnoCat to reach the summit because of poor visibility or other weather-related conditions.
The weather can often cause maintenance and safety challenges at the remote mountain top Park, especially in winter. Hurricane force winds are not uncommon, especially in winter. 100 + mph winds, whiteout conditions, and deep cold that can bring on frostbite in minutes are a common factor. Mount Washington is hit by a storm on average every 3 days and spends more than 60% pf the time in the fog. Snow has been recorded on the summit in every calendar month, including July and August.
The February 2023 storm provided an alternative adjustment to schedules. With the storm coming in on a scheduled travel day, Mount Washington State Park staff adjusted its travel day to the day before, which meant that the weekend shift was asked to come up a day early on short notice. This personal sacrifice of time at home and scheduled time off was taken up, and travel during those dangerous conditions was avoided.
During the storm, a door latch on the MWObs side of the building broke in sustained 100+ mph winds and the door could not be secured shut. It was the Mount Washington State Park staff who addressed the issue. With the help of two people with their backs against the door and feet up on railings to keep the door in the closed position, our maintenance staff rigged the door temporarily closed against the winds for the remainder of the storm. It was all in a day’s work for the Mount Washington State Park staff working in one of the most unique, extreme, and challenging environments in the country.
This scenario, where the MWObs and Mount Washington State Park staff worked together to solve a problem is not unheard of. One of the unique components of Mount Washington are the entities and stakeholders present. Aside from Mount Washington State Park and the MWObs, there are also the Mount Washington Auto Road and Mount Washington Cog Railway (private tourist attractions entering into the State Park), the White Mountain National Forest (land abutters), the Appalachian Mountain Club, and others with direct interests and staff involvement on the mountain. And it is the ability, willingness, and recognition of those stakeholders working cooperatively that brings forth one of the more unique aspects of the mountain. Despite separate missions and motivations, it is the mountain that ties everyone together. And it is working together that weathers the storms.
Article by Patrick Hummel, park supervisor for Mount Washington State Park in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Mr. Hummel has been managing Mount Washington State Park since 2018, but has worked for NH State Parks since 2001 and previously managed historic (Mt.) Monadnock State Park in southern NH where he grew up.
For more about Mount Washington and the state park operation, please enjoy these two YouTube links:
“A Day In The Life” working at Mount Washington State Park - True New England
SideTrek (to Mount Washington) - NH PBS
