Life at the Top: Tales, Truths, and Trusted Recipes from the Mount Washington Observatory

by Eric Pinder

Eric Pinder explains the geology and infamous weather of The Rockpile and describes the joys and terrors of living in the clouds. He also includes recipes from crew members, who take their meals seriously.

150 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Eric Pinder lives in rural New Hampshire, where he enjoys the outdoors and sometimes shares the nearest wild blueberry patch with a foraging bear. His books for children include If All the Animals Came Inside and Cat in the Clouds. He teaches creative writing at the new Hampshire Institute of Art and earned his M.F.A. in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Reviews

[Donald Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun and educational book about weather observers’ life at the summit of Mount Washington, home of the world’s worst weather (or so the saying goes). I met the author at a local farmer’s market twenty-ish miles from the mountain (he was kind enough to sign the copy I bought from him).

Educationally, I especially liked the discussion of typical weather conditions at the summit - surreal winds, unimaginably frigid temperatures, dense fog, heavy snows and rime ice.

It’s written in casual, accessible language even though the book imparts useful and accurate information. Glad I bought it.