Mount Washington Observers
an environment less ordinary
Crunchy Coffee Cups
Wednesday, Feb 25, 2004 (01:59
AM)
Dan walks out onto the deck, hears a strange noise, and pauses. Looking down at the concrete pads of the deck, he sees they are covered in frost. The gentle sound of a boot sole compressing a soft layer of frost is something unusual for us. But there it is. One hundred mile visibility, no threat of fog, and yet the deck is just cold enough to be at dewpoint causing the deposition of water vapor into frost.
This will sound dorkish, but walking on the deck is quite pleasurable. The frost underfoot feels as if I were walking on one of those new disposable coffee cups. You know, the type some bright innovator created three years ago with the squishy, fuzzy texture. I always spend more attention on patting the cup then I do drinking its contents.
Under the light, the deck shimmers and shines with its radiant cover. Tonight we observe, we enjoy the night, and in the words of Paul Simon, we have diamonds on the soles of our shoes.
Jon Cotton - Summit Intern
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THE MOUNT WASHINGTON OBSERVERS
