From One Mountain to the Next By Ellie Derry Hi everyone! My name is Ellie Derry and I am one of the fall 2026 interns at the Observatory. I’m super excited to be here and to have the opportunity to learn about mountain meteorology in such a unique place. I grew up mostly in Upstate New York, but I’ve been living out west for the past several years. I graduated from Colorado College, where I got my first opportunity to study mountain meteorology in the Rockies and earned a degree in Environmental Science and French & Francophone Studies. I

Mountains and Meteorology: What More Could a Girl Need? By Emily Grainger Hi everyone! My name is Emily Grainger, and I am one of this fall’s Summit Interns atop Mount Washington! I’m from Orlando, Florida, and earlier this year I graduated from Florida State University with my Bachelor’s degree in meteorology and minor in mathematics. I’ve lived in Florida my whole life, so I was ready for a change of scenery. This internship has been a long-time dream of mine and I’m so happy to be here! Exploring the Kancamagus Highway on my off-week. My interest in weather stemmed

My Fear of Weather Became a Love of Meteorology By Kaitlin Farrell Hello! My name is Kaitlin Farrell. I am one of the fall summit interns here at Mount Washington Observatory. I recently graduated from the State University of New York at Oswego with my BS in Meteorology and a minor in Mathematics. I was born in Canadaigua, NY, but have lived in North Syracuse, NY, my whole life. Hiking at Cathedral Ledge State Park on Sept. 11, 2026. Growing up, I was terrified of tornadoes and such storms reaching New York State. Any gust of wind would send

Ascending with High Winds By Alonso Lopez Hi! I am Alonso Lopez, one of four interns at Mount Washington Observatory from August to December, 2026. I was born and raised in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in Texas. In 25 years, I have only managed to visit 4 US States, yet, in only a week, for the drive up to Mount Washington, I over tripled that count to 13 states! Here I am measuring winds at the summit on my first week. Winds were at 43 mph here. As a child, I was drawn toward spinny objects and had a

26th Annual Seek the Peak Recap By Drew Bush Members of the "Peak Potential" team gather at Pinkham Notch before hiking Mount Washington for the 26th Annual Seek the Peak. View more images. We’ve had another incredibly successful Seek the Peak event this past July. Mount Washington Observatory’s 26th Annual Seek the Peak soared past its goal of $260,000, raising more than $293,000 thanks to the tireless efforts of 592 hikers. An inspiring 242 hikers joined us for the first time. We couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who took part for helping us to accomplish this incredible outcome. Your

Seek the Peak Spotlight: The Cloud Chasers By MWOBS Staff Mike Bergeron and Desiree Bolton have been participating and volunteering for Seek the Peak for three years now. Together, they comprise Team Cloud Chasers for the Observatory’s annual fundraiser, and you can count on them to deliver smiles and positivity both on the trail and under the event tent. We recently connected with Mike and Desiree to see what sparked their interest in the Observatory. “We both have always loved experiencing weather and the study of,” shared Mike. “It was the -109 event that opened the door for our

Seek the Peak Spotlight: Ryan Shepard By MWOBS Staff Before Ryan Shepard moved to Conway, he was in Western New York celebrating his 40th birthday party. “I wanted to go big,” he said. “Big” meant setting up a fundraiser for a local pitbull rescue foundation. He booked a restaurant and music venue, lined up three breweries and two distilleries, organized a silent auction and walked away having raised over $1,300. Not your typical 40th birthday bash, but Shepard was spending the day doing what he loves. That was four years ago. Soon after, Shepard moved to Conway to take