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Among the Clouds: Work, Wit & Wild Weather at the Mount Washington Observatory | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: Alpine Books
Category: EBooks
List Price: $3.95
Buy New: $3.16
You Save: $0.79 (20%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 86930
Format: Kindle Book
Media: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B001DAB672
Publication Date: July 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
A flying chunk of ice the size of a baseball whacks an unsuspecting mountaineer on the head. A bored raven steals food from foxes and goes tobogganing on the snow. Eccentric meteorologists build a snowman in June, commute home by sled, and witness hurricane-force winds twelve months out of the year. Where is all of this happening? The answer is only at the 6288-foot-high Mount Washington Observatory, perched amongst the clouds in New Hampshire's White Mountains. A record-breaking 231-mph gust of wind shrieked across the summit in 1934, earning the mountain its nickname: "Home of the World's Worst Weather."
A few hardy souls live at the Observatory year-round, enduring savage thunderstorms, twenty-foot snowdrifts, blinding fog, and odd questions from visitors ("Can you see New Hampshire from here?"). Discover what a meteorologist's typical day is like in the harsh but spectacular world above timberline. Come meet Nin the Cat, Marty on the Mountain, tobogganing ravens, hapless hikers, and meandering moose. These humorous and informative stories about life on a mountaintop are sure to appeal to hikers and weather aficionados alike. Foreword by meteorologist Mish Michaels.
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| Customer Reviews:
The title says it all -- highly recommended October 22, 2008
The summit of the White Mountains in New Hampshire is the highest point in New England at 6,288 feet. On it is the Mount Washington Observatory-one of the last man-run weather outposts. This summit is also known as the home of the "world's worst weather," mostly because hurricane force winds batter this peak more than 105 days a year.
The author, Eric Pinder, is writing about that what he knows. He spent seven years as an observer on Mount Washington. While everyone talks about the weather, it is obvious from his writing that he loves weather and finds unexpected humor and joy in its extremes and variances.
Among the Clouds gives a detailed account of the daily life on Mount Washington as a weather recorder as well as some humorous anecdotes that have happened to staff persons and visitors. Aside from a resident cat that lives at the Observatory year round, you might think life would be lonely and isolated, but apparently there is a continuous flow of hikers, tourists, media persons and researchers-and it is the staff who must see to the needs and safety of these people as well as act as tour guides, rescuers and medics when neede-while continuously monitoring the weather equipment and sending out weather reports.
Pinder sprinkles in lots of weather humor and trivia-why meteorologists use the word `front' when talking about air masses, the temperature in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, and Ben Franklin's invention of the odometer. Almost every other page has a photo. The disappointment is that the photos are not in color but they are still awesome.
This short (97 pages), easily read book would be enjoyed by young readers as well as adults and would make a great holiday gift for most anyone. It is not only witty, it is also educational.
Pinder's really interesting web site should also be visited. He also gives the web site for the Mount Washington Observatory - http://www.mountwashington.org - which has more information about the weather station, current weather conditions there and educational projects available.
Armchair Interviews says: Ideal for someone who likes to read about unusual jobs-and also about weather-but will be enjoyed by all.
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