Arctic Wednesdays 2025: Week 3 Post-Trip Blog

 

“The Mountains are calling and I must go”, that’s one of the quotes my class discussed during our language arts lesson the day before my trip up to the summit of Mt. Washington. For me, the mountains are always calling, and this time it was in one of the most unique ways possible! Last year, my school made the decision to adopt a new literacy program, an arduous task, but imagine my excitement when one of my new units ended up being about survival in extreme conditions, with the idea that the setting of a story can affect and change the characters. This unit explores famous survival stories such as “Hatchet”, has 4th grade students pouring over wilderness survival guides, and ties in science standards with books and lessons centered around the formation and erosion of mountain ranges. Now that’s my kind of literacy unit! 

Part of what my school does that makes us so amazing is that we all strive to go above and beyond the expectations to bring new and fun experiences to our students, to extend their learning and make school fun and enjoyable. In one of these discussions on how to celebrate this literacy work, my amazing literacy trainer turned to me and said, “Have you ever heard of that program Mt. Washington does for teachers, the winter trip to the summit?” (Her husband had been a volunteer on the cook rotation and had learned about it on his trip). I immediately knew I had to make it on an Arctic Wednesday trip and began pouring over my survival unit to find all of the connections that could be made between the Arctic Wednesday experience and our literacy work, and there were quite a few. If you live in New Hampshire and want to learn about survival in extreme environments, visit Mt. Washington in the middle of winter! When I told my students that I was one of the teachers picked for the program, they cheered so loud that the whole school heard them! 

Immediately we began getting ready for trip day. My students were fascinated to hear all about how extreme the conditions could be and checking the web cams and observatory weather dashboard became a daily occurrence for us. They couldn't believe I was actually going to experience that kind of weather, not to mention how excited I was to be able to. On the day of the trip, making my way north from the New Hampshire seacoast, I came over the first big hill on Rt. 16 where you get a glimpse of the mountains and saw a perfect bluebird sky day ahead and knew this day was about to be amazing. The weather was perfect, the views were phenomenal, and the road was… less than cooperative. The trip to the summit took much longer than anticipated, but also gave us the opportunity to get out of the snow cat and take in the views while everyone got a good stretch break in. The slow going climb quickly made us realize my 12:30 live connection was not in the cards, but that's okay. Talk about extreme and unpredictable environments, the road was one in itself. Upon arriving at the summit a little after 1:00, we quickly made our way to the office for the live zoom. My students were so happy to be able to zoom in and ask their questions, and they got an answer to every single one… including when Nimbus’s birthday is so we can send him a birthday card. 

After the live classroom connection, I was able to go outside and experience the extreme weather conditions for myself, although it kind of felt like cheating because it was basically the most perfect weather you could ask for on top of Mt. Washington in the winter. I was able to take pictures that highlight features of the buildings that help to keep observatory staff safe and sound inside during some of the world's worst weather. I had an amazing day getting to experience Mt. Washington in a way that not many people do. It was a far cry from crowded summer hiking trails and a line at the summit to get your picture taken with the sign… and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!       

Kimberly Wardlaw

4th Grade Teacher

Newfields Elementary School