Pre-Trip Blog Week 1 (originally 2!)
Here's Kelley Ruppel's blog for the first Arctic Wednesdays trip of the season, following our postponed trip last week. Thanks to Jason Knight and Kirk Niese for their flexibility with the notoriously difficult condition on Mt. Washington!
Arctic Wednesday ----Pre Trip Blog
1/14/19
Growing up in the north country it's hard to miss Mount Washington looming in the background everywhere you go. As a kid I was always fascinated by its size and adventure appeal. I got my first real taste of the mountain when I was 15 and my father finally agreed to take me on my first hike up the Lions Head trail. I could not get enough of the views and the cool rocks. My dad was not a fan of the rocks when he opened our backpack at lunch time to discover all the geological treasures I picked up along the way. As a bonafide science geek I was overjoyed when I finally summitted and could get my picture taken in front of the Worlds Highest Winds sign, I was hooked by the mountain and every year since we have made it an annual event to summit Mount Washington and reconnect with nature and each other.
Fast forword to today…...I am a middle school science teacher in Gorham NH. One day I was diligently checking my email when I got an unexpected flyer from my principal about Arctic Wednesdays. I scanned the flyer and the more I read the more excited I became. I sprang from my chair and raced into Amanda’s room (next door to mine) to tell her all about it. She said, “I want to go too.” I was shocked that she agreed so quickly. We applied not thinking we had a chance to get in and here we are over the moon excited to be the first group up the mountain this year.
We are currently doing a learning expedition with our 7th grade students called World's Fair and we are excited to use the MWOBS data with our students. In science class we are currently studying the atmosphere and students are experimenting with pressure and the percent of oxygen in the air around them. We will then move on to weather and climate. I am looking forward to really connecting them with local data and how to interpret it. Amanda (middle school math teacher) and I want to use our experience to get our students fully engaged in weather, data, and graphs. We also think this is a great opportunity for us to do some team teaching and joint math science projects.
Honestly we are itching to travel to the top of New England in the winter because not many people get to enjoy this experience. It will be one of the few times when we can really appreciate the beauty of the White Mountains without a lot of other people around. Plus it will be my first time riding in a snowcat.
Kelly Ruppel Gorham Middle High School
Arctic Wednesday ----Pre Trip Blog
1/14/19
Growing up in the north country it's hard to miss Mount Washington looming in the background everywhere you go. As a kid I was always fascinated by its size and adventure appeal. I got my first real taste of the mountain when I was 15 and my father finally agreed to take me on my first hike up the Lions Head trail. I could not get enough of the views and the cool rocks. My dad was not a fan of the rocks when he opened our backpack at lunch time to discover all the geological treasures I picked up along the way. As a bonafide science geek I was overjoyed when I finally summitted and could get my picture taken in front of the Worlds Highest Winds sign, I was hooked by the mountain and every year since we have made it an annual event to summit Mount Washington and reconnect with nature and each other.
Fast forword to today…...I am a middle school science teacher in Gorham NH. One day I was diligently checking my email when I got an unexpected flyer from my principal about Arctic Wednesdays. I scanned the flyer and the more I read the more excited I became. I sprang from my chair and raced into Amanda’s room (next door to mine) to tell her all about it. She said, “I want to go too.” I was shocked that she agreed so quickly. We applied not thinking we had a chance to get in and here we are over the moon excited to be the first group up the mountain this year.
We are currently doing a learning expedition with our 7th grade students called World's Fair and we are excited to use the MWOBS data with our students. In science class we are currently studying the atmosphere and students are experimenting with pressure and the percent of oxygen in the air around them. We will then move on to weather and climate. I am looking forward to really connecting them with local data and how to interpret it. Amanda (middle school math teacher) and I want to use our experience to get our students fully engaged in weather, data, and graphs. We also think this is a great opportunity for us to do some team teaching and joint math science projects.
Honestly we are itching to travel to the top of New England in the winter because not many people get to enjoy this experience. It will be one of the few times when we can really appreciate the beauty of the White Mountains without a lot of other people around. Plus it will be my first time riding in a snowcat.
Kelly Ruppel Gorham Middle High School
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