Well, it's Tuesday which of course is the end of my latest shift and also means it is time to post pictures I have taken over the last week. I have lots of good ones this week, as well as a couple videos as a bonus. It was a much less wintry shift than my last one, in fact most of the snow that came during my last shift is now gone. More rain than snow fell, but we still saw some rime ice forming at times.
I have a total of 17 pictures (narrowed down from over 100) and 2 videos to share. That's an awful lot for one post, but I didn't like how doing two parts turned out last week. This is supposed to be a sort of photo journal of my shift on the mountain, and I feel like splitting the week's photos in two makes them lose that purpose. Leave a comment if you have any feelings one way or the other. But enough chit chat. Let's get to the good stuff!
On the way up to start my shift last Wednesday, we stopped just above the halfway point of the Mount Washington Auto Road to put chains on our four-wheel drive truck and van. When we stopped, we had a fantastic view of these lenticular clouds to the east, over the Carter-Moriah range:
And here's a picture of the chains being put on the truck and van, with clouds draped over the Northern Presidentials in the background”
Sunrise Friday morning was a great one. Some nice mid and high level clouds above us, and some stratus below us as well:
This next picture was taken just a couple hours after the previous one. This time of year is a great one for being able to very distinctly see the ocean, because the sun rises in just the right place to shine on the water and bring definition to the coastline. In the back of this picture, you are seeing the ocean off the coast of Portland, Maine. Right in front of that, you are seeing Lake Sebago, Maine. Being able to view the ocean from 65 miles away and almost 6300 feet up is always an impressive sight, but it was particularly impressive on this day:
Later that day, winds decreased significantly, making for a perfect opportunity for Marty, our cat, to get outside for some fresh air. Here he is contemplating whether it is safe to go out or not:
And here he is enjoying the sunshine on the observation deck:
Sunset Sunday evening was not all that spectacular by my standards but, visibility was very good. In this photo, visibility is at about 130 miles, so you are actually seeing some of the Adirondacks in New York State, including Mount Whiteface:
The best picture opportunities actually came today. Sunrise this morning was nothing short of spectacular. In fact, it was one of the best, if not the best, that I have seen in over 2 years here. Here is what I saw when I walked out the door this morning to take my first observation (fellow observers Ryan and Mike are the people in the picture):
And here's a shot looking over the Carter-Moriah and Wildcat ranges:
The lighting on the altocumulus clouds was amazing:
This one was just after the sun actually rose above the horizon:
And here is a closeup of the altocumulus from the previous picture:
Just a few minutes later, the stratus clouds below the summit began to flow over the Wildcat range:
A closeup of the clouds flowing over the mountains:
Some really nice colors even showed up to the west:
I also took a time-lapse video of the cloud movement that I already mentioned. I posted it to the Obsevatory's YouTube site today:
An amazing sunrise like that is a great way to start a day and I would have been more than content if those were the only pictures I got to take all day. However a surprise photo opportunity presented itself in the afternoon when some incredible wave type clouds began to move toward the summit:
A few minutes later, here's what it looked like the opposite direction:
None of the pictures I took really do this event justice to be honest, which is really too bad. I did take another video though, and turned it into another time-lapse that I posted to our YouTube site:
So that wraps things up for this shift. I'll be back next week!
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Amazing photos and videos. Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed your resident cat having fun in the sun, I am sure there won't be too many more opportunities for the cat to do this any more this season and during the winter.
Posted by Jeanette Myers | November 7, 2009 4:22 PM
Just great pictures - thanks for sharing!
Posted by Craig | November 6, 2009 7:52 PM
Hello
These all photographs are really very awesome.I don't have words to appreciate it.I wish I could be there.Thank you very much for giving such good photographs to us.I have liked it very much.
Posted by ginko   | November 6, 2009 6:07 AM
What you're doing is very cool and interesting. I hope you keep this up. Thanks.
Posted by ken hickerson | November 5, 2009 2:17 PM
Brian,
The photo of the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Sebago reminded me of my tour with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam some 39 years ago. I was on Firebase Ripcord near the Ashau Valley along side the Ho Chi Min Trail and every morning I would look toward the China Sea and the clouds would be totally encased around every mountain top so that each peak looked like a stepping stone to the sea.I kept saying to myself "I'm not really in a war am I?" and the first mortar round landing near my bunker would bring me back to realty.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos.
Larry Talbot
Posted by Larry Talbot | November 5, 2009 12:33 PM
Your pics are SO beautiful! Now perhaps you know of someone who takes these same kind of lovely pictures in the Colorado Rockies. That's as far as I can travel anymore, being of "ripe? old age, and I miss being able to keep up with the Estes Park, CO views. Surely there must be other camera artists like you who look at Rockies and see potential beauty with their cameras. Any suggestions. Am hoping you skilled folks keep up with each other. Your pics give me something beautiful to put on my screen saver (besides grandkids and greats, but view are even better from time to time---don't tell them I said this.
Thanks,
Midge M
Posted by Midge | November 3, 2009 10:50 AM
More great photos and vids. The time-lapse really shows how the atmosphere is a fluid.
Would love to trade in my desk job for a stint on the mountain. But that would be a one-sided deal for me.
Posted by Hank | November 3, 2009 10:36 AM
Brian,
I have never seen a video like yours showing the streaming clouds beneath your feet like a billowy sea. Awesome!! Thanks again for sharing with us.
Richard
Posted by Richard | November 1, 2009 4:20 PM
I have really appreciated your photos and videos since I discovered your blog. I was a Forester in the Littleton RD in th early 60's and loved the area. Participated in more than one search and rescue on your Mountain, including one deadly avalanche just to your east at the headwall of Tuckerman. Yout mountain is lovely but can be deadly.
I too saw some scenes as you photographed during my winter technical and survival training just below your observatory. The first morning that I emerged from my snow cave, I saw the sunrise over the ocean just as you photographed. It was a most memorable sight to saw the least.
Keep the memories coming.
Posted by Joe Bachant | October 31, 2009 7:09 PM
Hey guys ,
That does not look like work to me ! Hahaha
Great stuff there Brian.wow, makes me really want to visit you guys. Easy for me to say here in Florida.
Really appreciate the sharing of your pictures and video. A beautiful view some of us may have never seen or will .
Thanks and take care,Thumbs up for you and the crew.
Cheers
Posted by Rob | October 31, 2009 10:45 AM
Amazing clouds! We love to come to Mt Washington in the summer with our cameras. (we hike some then drive up too) Never saw those mountain hugging clouds in the summer. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by Sue and Andy Bell | October 31, 2009 6:58 AM
You captured the best of both worlds with low lying clouds and great visibility. Have never been to the summit of Mount Washington. Nice to see a westerly view of the green mountains with Camels Hump (just right of center, photo 7). I'm pretty sure Whiteface Mountain would be the more faint peak beyond to the right of Camels Hump.
Posted by Michael | October 30, 2009 9:48 PM
Very impressive photos. Just love that cat Marty.
Posted by Colleen | October 30, 2009 6:19 PM
Brian, just absolutely outstanding. Thank you for capturing this and sharing it!
KD Talbot
Posted by Kevin Talbot | October 30, 2009 10:48 AM
Beautiful photos of the sunrise. I had never heard the term lenticular before, but I saw those clouds recently and thought how unusual they were ...will have to look that up. Video of clouds rolling over mountains also impressive. Keep posting!
Posted by Cynthia Foresman | October 30, 2009 7:47 AM
Miss that place was fortunate to intern up there in the winter of 00-01
Posted by Kevin | October 28, 2009 10:47 AM
I absolutely LOVE the pictures! Please keep posting them. They are fascinating! I love seeing pictures of Marty, too!
Posted by Judy | October 28, 2009 9:34 AM
Brian the pictures were fabulous and I'm truly jealous. We had a great one at Lonesome this fall but that one was gorgeous. I like the pictures all at once. It gives a great visual overview or your stint that might feel choppy otherwise.
Posted by Kate | October 28, 2009 8:31 AM
Your video of the cloud movements is great. It is so wonderful to watch weather move through an area. Thanks a lot for sharing. Have a great week. again, thanks, John
Posted by John | October 28, 2009 7:33 AM
Is it possible for you to label the sights directly in the pictures you mention off in the distance (like Mt Whiteface or Whiteface Mt in NY)?
Was at Mt Washington few years back (7?), so this is awesome stuff! I love mountains and though I am not all that familiar with cloud types and sights you can see, I have truely enjoyed your series of pics. Would love to visit or be inside the observation tower here in NY on top of Whiteface Mt in Lake Placid (especially during a thunderstorm. Any chance of doing a series next summer w/pics of an approaching storm and during one?
Posted by Mike Del Fuoco | October 28, 2009 2:18 AM
Great cloud pics. I witnessed a similar sunrise 10/27/09 from my location north of Binghamton NY but not nearly as impressive. Enjoyed the videos!
Posted by Steve | October 27, 2009 11:25 PM
gorgeous colors! love the time lapse too :)
Posted by lp | October 27, 2009 9:13 PM
Amazing pictures, and that timelapse of the clouds flowing over the mountain is undoubtably one of the coolest effects I've ever seen! Keep 'em coming! They're awesome!
Posted by Mo | October 27, 2009 8:34 PM
Thanks for sharing your pictues. We toured the New England area Sept 08 and saw Mt Washington from a distance. What beauty!!!!! We also stayed in Portland, Maine. Awesome that you can see it from where you are.
Keep the pictures coming - we all enjoy them.
Also - give Marty a "pat on the head" for me.
Posted by karen | October 27, 2009 7:41 PM
Some GREAT photos and video! How far is it that you are actually seeing to the coastline in the above picture?
Thanks for the great images. I'd love to be up there sometime!
From Brian: The in the picture you are seeing is actually only about 65 to 70 miles away.
Posted by John Burkhauser | October 27, 2009 7:13 PM