Breaking The Ice

The First Winter Scientific Expedition on Mount Washington

October 14, 6 pm – Register here

More than 150 years ago, a historic adventure unfolded on the summit of Mount Washington. The Huntington-Hitchcock Expedition, led by two geologists, became the first to spend an entire winter atop the mountain during the brutal winter of 1870-1871. Their goal was to explore and document the unique and severe weather conditions found there. This groundbreaking effort not only provided valuable scientific data but also laid the foundation for future work on the mountain.

This pioneering expedition paved the way for the U.S. Signal Service weather station on the summit and later served as the inspiration for the Mount Washington Observatory’s re-occupation of the summit in 1932. Join us to hear the full story from Peter Crane, Ph.D., Curator at the Gladys Brooks Memorial Library—the official library of the Mount Washington Observatory.