Arctic Wednesdays 2025: Week 4 Pre-Trip Blog
As far as I can remember, I have been amazed by the weather. I grew up in northwestern Vermont in a house overlooking Lake Champlain to the west. In the summer evenings we would watch the storms roll in from New York and predict if they would gather strength before reaching us or fall apart over the Adirondacks. We hiked our first mountain as a family when I was 14: Mount Mansfield. I had always heard that the weather could be very different at the summit within the alpine zone. I remember the temperature being about 20 degrees cooler than at the start of the hike and the wind was whipping! I think what I was most awestruck by was the flora around the summit. The lichens, mosses, grasses, and occasional krumholtz were so unique in the alpine zone.
For our trip, I am hoping to accumulate data points to suggest how weather variables like temperature, humidity, air pressure, and wind speed/direction differ as we climb up the mountain. I know the data can be found on the MWOBS website, but there is something more relatable for the students if they can see how the information was recorded. My adventure buddy and fellow teacher, Marissa Rousseau-Stitt, is planning to conduct some physics based experiments at the top to connect to both her physics and meteorology classes. We have been working together to create activities that can work with our various science classes so they can all join in on this experience.
As of writing, our forecast for Wednesday is looking to be chilly, but not as gusty as previous days with some clearing throughout the day. Having been up on the summit this summer, I am very interested in the differences between those two experiences. I have been looking forward to this experience for months and am so excited that the time has finally come!
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