Research For Fiction

[RhodyDave]

Hello all,

Glad to see that there's a forum for the MWOBS, and it is full of interesting comments and people. I don't know if this will help me with a story I'm working on, but here goes;

I'm writing a story that takes place mostly in NH. The main characters will eventually seek refuge at the MWOBS, after a zombie plague does its thing to the majority of humanity.

I read the FAQ, and that was very informative regarding the details of microwave radio communication, food stores, water, and power. Very helpful stuff, for sure. What I'd like to know, if possible, is are there ham radio communications from the MWOBS? How about cellular service - does that work up there? Also, are there any diagrams or maps that show the general locations and size of the buildings and their relationships to each other and the terrain. Thanks for any input.

[TrishandAlex]

I have no clue, but I look forward to reading your work! Sounds like fun. :)

[redthorne]

I don't know about HAM, but I can tell you that Verizon does not work up top. And in the gulfs you are in radio/wireless shadow as well.

A USGS topo quad map may show you the orientation of the buildings. Or google earth too?

[BlueDog]

I can confirm that I was getting AT&T coverage at the summit and had 50-50 coverage on the hike up the eastern face.

The Google Earth imagery of the summit hasn't been updated since 2003, but it can overall give you a decent idea of the way things are laid out. Below is a screen shot I just grabbed and labeled a few of the high points for you.

http://www.follylane.org/stuff/MtWashingtonEarth.png

Given the subject matter of the book, and the level of geekness of many folks here, if you are looking for specific places that you can use for reference, we can probably provide you with the GPS location, name, trail and how to get there. For example, just down from the summit is the Lake of the Clouds hut which has a place where someone could hide from zombies, called the "dungeon."

Also, in Tuckermans Ravine, there is a First Aid cache tucked into the rocks. Its a large and long metal pipe with a metal door capping it off. Might be useful for your characters to find/stash stuff, or a couple people could actually hide in there. (I've got pictures I can upload somewhere.)

[RhodyDave]

Wow - what great info! Thanks very much for the labeled photo and the excellent details about the huts and the cache.

[BlueDog]

Happy to help. If you need any more, just ask! Sounds like it will be an interesting read. If I can think of any other interesting spots I'll let you know.

[Patrad Fischroy]

You could also look at some of the aerial photos recently posted by Karl Swenson in the Photo section of this forum. They are really great and have a few nice close-ups of the summit area.

[mtruman]

Interesting - zombies at the OBS. Hmmmm. As Erich said there are plenty of geeks here (yes, count me in) that can probably help with input. Lots of other folks - including the OBS staff - with plenty of history and details about the facility, etc. Look forward to seeing how this turns out. Always glad to help a RI neighbor...