I think I was in New Hampshire for all of two days before hearing that this is the home of the worst weather in the world. The worst. In the whole world. No hurricanes, typhoons, or tornadoes define New Hampshire’s seasons, yet of everywhere in the world, I’m supposed to believe that this little New England state, found in a temperate climate zone, has the worst weather??? Needless to say, I was a bit skeptical. Since then, I’ve heard it countless other times. Even a quick google search of the worst weather in the world reveals Mount Washington as the reigning champion—“The lowest temperature ever recorded at Mount Washington’s summit is -46 °C. Only the South Pole is colder.”
Despite the fact that this is the home of the worst weather in the world, I rather enjoy how the daily functioning of the SLA places us out in the middle of the day’s atmospheric happenings. Granted, on a given day it can be particularly hot, humid, or rainy, but barring a severe thunder storm, that doesn’t stop us.
On a particularly soggy day, one of those where the rain starts and just keeps on coming, I was scheduled for Islands. On Islands, you start as the campus gofer, basically just doing any tasks that may need to be done for the day (splitting wood is almost always a safe bet, a pretty common need here at the SLA). Later, you load up a boat with fire wood and head out to our campsites, to restock woodpiles and get campers checked in. Despite the downpour, my spirits weren’t dampened—sometimes you just have to embrace the fact the you’re going to be soaked to the bone. And I was glad to be out in the rain—because of the weather’s supposed dreariness, no one else was out enjoying the lake. With the lack of boaters, and a virtually windless day, the surface of the lake lay completely flat, its stillness broken only by raindrops smattering against the surface.
The land resembled the water that day, each campsite I visited proving to be deserted, a ghost town despite a moderate amount of reservations for the day. Without the normal traffic that can be found on land and water on a sunny summer day, it was easy the imagine the lake as it may have once lived, undisturbed but for the rain and the occasional wavering call of a loon announcing its presence. Nothing beats a peaceful rainy day out on the lake.
Not every rainy day spent on the water ends up being so peaceful, though. Last week, Cole, Alex and I woke up early for a dive day and were met with heavy showers and a chilly 60 °F morning. While 60 °F in the middle of winter may feel as inviting as a balmy spring day, on this July morning it was met with far less enthusiasm. Decked out in layers and rain gear, we set out for the Bennet cove dive site, a small stream leading into the lake that is home of the coldest water we dive in at Squam. After a miserable boat ride through the cold sheeting rain that left fingers cold and numb, Cole geared up to get in the water first, with Alex tending at the surface in the kayak.
Upon first getting in where the stream met the lake, Cole popped his head out of the water and marveled at how warm it was before the mouth of the stream, practically warmer than the air. When he swam back to the boat where it was anchored in the cove, however, after an hour long dive in the streams cold water, Cole said the water here now felt like a hot tub. Not a good sign. With Cole borderline hypothermic after an hour long dive, it was clear our dive day was going to be cut short, and efforts were focused on getting him dry and warm and out of the cold as soon as possible.
And so New Hampshire’s worst weather in the world struck on a Tuesday in late July, with a day cold enough to run the risk of hypothermia. Despite the rollercoaster of weather that keeps you on your toes, makes you check the weather every morning before getting ready for the day, being able to help conserve this paradise of New Hampshire for years to come is an experience I will always be grateful for.
On any day of the week, you may find Dani dreaming of dinosaurs, going the distance for icecream, or getting minorly injured and and having a good laugh about it with friends. You can read more about Dani here.