Among the Clouds: Work, Wit & Wild Weather at the Mount Washington Observatory

Mr. Pinder’s volume is a slim, easy to read, human touched book with a strange depth. Better known for his children’s books, this is the foundation place for the Northern New Hampshire resident. He is a scientist, somewhat isolated (but not really) on the top of a mountain that challenges even the existential. I know personally about this because in 1994 I spent some of the most challenging days of my life following an old logging trail, becoming hopelessly lost, setting up camp in a sheltered ravine, writing in my small book for several days, then attempting and succeeding in self-extraction. Mr. Pinder’s book strikes home like a homily about a subject you are wrestling with.Eric tells us in crisp fashion about the body count of people who lost their lives on the mountain, about the tourist who comes and goes from his life like an animated set piece, and about his job, but he does not go deep on anything. Instead he has given us his thoughts of the day taken from his diary and shows us around his mind. A science nerd who loves the stars. Some of his observations are delightful, at one point his flashlight is a light saber. At another point the ravens are flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz.The biggest reason to read the book is a little fun. You won’t get proselytizing narrative telling you how environmental the author is and how we all are lesser beings. You won’t get endless statistics on the top of this 6000 plus foot-tall mountain. Instead you get easy reading, nice humor, a book that fits in a backpack, and interesting stories.Now the critique. I wished the booked was longer. At 100 pages it wets the appetite and leaves you wishing for more. Second, I wish it had photographs. Mr. Pinder has published and shown amazing photography in the past, and I wonder at the store of these images that could have been applied to the book. It would have to change format, which is likely why the work stays a narrative non-fiction.Still, I read the book and remembered the days I spent lost on the mountain freezing my cojones off and thought I could well be one of those hikers he met, had I been idiot enough to try for the summit on that trip. It brought back fond memories of cooking under mylar sheets in pelting wind, protected by

I bought this while on a recent trip to New Hampshire and was in the mood for something relating to the White Mountain region. It was a fast, fun read. I generally read very slowly but I finished this one in about a week. It's a very interesting look at the day to day job of a Mt Washington weather researcher. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the Mt Washington Observatory. I plan on checking out more of Eric Pinder's work.

I have read other books about Mt Washington by this author and honestly had forgotten how quirky he is. Loved this book and it was neat to read about "days in the life" of folks who live on the summit with the "world's worst weather." The only heads up I might make to a potential buyer is that the author seems to have penned this book as though he were writing to folks he knows, folks within his inner circle, and at times during reading I felt like I was missing an inside joke or something and it wasn't clear exactly what the author was talking about or what he was intending to do with his prose. It's still a nice read though if you're into anything and all things Mount Washington/White Mountains, NH.

Only disappointing thing About the book was how quickly it was over (just barely 100 pages) but still well worth the 3.95 for the kindle version. Interesting perspective on Mt. Washington observatory and educational meteorological tidbits with the author's witty literal humor thrown in for good measure. I look forward to reading some of his other books.

Eric Pinder is a gifted, engaging writer, and this is a fun, if short, book centering on 10 years spent manning the weather station atop Mt Washington. I love meteorology, but you dont have to be a weather buff to find this book interesting. Gives some insight as to the forecasting process and why it is so hard. I will highly recommend another book by Pinder, Tying Down the Wind, for those who really want to understand weather systems on our fascinating planet.

This is another great book by Eric Pinder revealing the workings of the Mount Washington Observatory and the World's Worst Weather! Eric has a great story telling ability making you feel welcome on the 6,288-foot summit. I particularly liked the last chapter detailing the day in the life of an observatory meteorologist. As the book's title states, there is work, wit & wild weather... among the clouds!