Chainsaws and Frivolity

Intermittent sunshine and seasonable temperatures hovering around freezing made for a fine December workday on the hill. A bit of ice didn't cause any problems on the road, even my little Matrix made the summit with no problem.

Dan Carnevale and I took down a few beech trees that would have threatened the telescope shed in the event of another ice storm. That area has some potential to turn in to a nice little gathering spot.

Kevin Collins and Tom Walker made sure the contents of the shed were ready for winter, checking on our mirrors and removing the batteries for the telrad finders.

Kevin, Tom, Ray Burk, and Steve Pielock provided humorous running commentary on the chainsaw progress as they hauled brush.

Barry Hervieux supported the chainsaw operations and removed his camper from the property for the winter.

It was a three Advil day for me, and I suspect for Dan as well. Dan's chainsaw skills bailed me out of a couple of problems, much appreciated!

The hill is ready for winter… I suspect things will look much different up there by the January work day. Thanks to all who helped out.

-Ed

Scouts, Chainsaws, and Stovepipe

Saturday, November 6 was a busy day on the hill. Boy Scout Troop 45 from Southington, CT made camp early on Saturday. They spent the day completing the Astronomy Merit Badge training. The astronomy merit badge is demanding, with observing projects and setting up public observing as part of the requirements. Eighteen boys went through the training, and I'm confident several of this bright and motivated group will achieve the badge.

During a break, Barry Herveiux and I went with two groups who did trail maintenance on the Piliated Path, Amanda's trail, and the Klondike Connector.

Tom, Kevin, Jonathan, and Ray replaced the interior stove pipe in the warming hut. Once the piping "broke in" and the coatings burned off, the new piping drew a strong draft, but not before the smoke drove everyone out of the hut.

Dan Carnevale did massive amount of chainsawing, and gave the scouts a hands on demonstration of a computerized "Go To" telescope.

The forecast break in the clouds didn't happen early enough and the Notchview viewing was canceled. The Boy Scouts persevered and were rewarded with a few holes in the clouds to catch some views of Jupiter, Albireo, the Andromeda Galaxy, and the ring nebula.
-Ed

Great October Days and Nights!

From a group students from Olin College and Wellesley College to a troop of brownies from nearby Peru, MA, visitors have been enjoying the telescopes, trails, and wonderful dark skies of Arunah Hill this month. Local town residents were treated to some fine stargazing at Notchview, thanks to a crack team of Arunah Hill astronomers.

The college students caught a windy but transparent night of the Friday of Columbus Day weekend. They are a knowledgable and enthusistic group, and were rewarded with fine views of everything from Jupiter to the Pinwheel Galaxy. The Veil Nebula and Comet Hartley as seen in Barry's scope were particular treats to this discriminating group.

This past weekend, a local Brownie troop found geocaches, built cardboard telescopes and lauched a rocket, braving the elements before the persistent clouds washed out any hope of stargazing. Still, everyone had a great time, and I suspect they will be back soon for a promised look at the Moon and some planets.

October Workday

Chainsaws and gravel work marked a fine October day. With color in the distant hills, Dan Carnevale and I took some trees down behind the telescope shed... starting to open up some of the east and the northeast from the top of the clearing.

Tom Walker, Ray Burk, and Jonathon Klipkowski hauled brush, raked out gravel on the driveway, and otherwise worked to clean up the site.

After sunset, Jonathon and group of folks had a fine night of observing the crisp and pristine skies of October over Arunah.

A good day. Thanks to all involved. The hill is in great shape, and October has a busy schedule of Scout visits and a field trip for Olin College of Engineering.

Pizza and Telescopes, and an ISS Pass!

Sidewalk Stargazing at Flatbread's was a big success! We had steady traffic and a big group of middle school students. Venus was sharp right to the horizon, the near 1st quarter moon, and then Jupiter were all big hits, but the highlight was a great pass from the International Space Station. Thanks to Dan Carnevale with his Traveler and Tyler Faits with a Teleview Genesis for tirelessly showing off the sky and answering "extra credit" questions from 5th graders, and to Jonathan Klinkowski for manning the busy raffle table.

Special thanks to Cathy Faits for getting us the pizza and her painting and to Peter Scherff for donating a meteorite and putting together the Arunah display, and to Eric and the staff of Flatbread's for hosting us.

We raised a little money for Arunah, got to show off the night sky, and even might have picked up a new member or two! Not bad for a Tuesday night.

Pizza Tuesday at Flatbread's in Canton

Gather up some friends and stop by Flatbread's in Canton, in the Shoppes at Farmington Valley for dinner on Tuesday night. It's a great pizza spot, and the will be donating $3 for every pizza sold on Tuesday, September 14 to Arunah Hill!

A pretty spectacular few weeks for Arunah Hill, including our best Arunah Hill Days ever!

Thanks to the Pielocks (great choice of movies, Steve), the Volants, Peter Scherff , the Benscotters, Joe Zuraw, Scott Massey and the Boy Scouts, Kevin Collins, Tom Walker, Ray Burk, Jonathan Klinkowski, Bruce Blanchard, rocketeers Ranger Gary Cislak and Jim Downing, and our speakers Jim Zebrowski and Prof. Tim Barker, and the rest of the Arunah membership who make such and event happen. Also thanks to Paul Tuthill at WAMC and to Amanda Germain and the Springfield Republican for some great publicity.

A special thanks to my family for all that they do.

Sunday Night!

Great night on the hill last night, and a terrific forecast for tonight (Sunday). If you are still thinking of attending Arunah Hill Days, there is still plenty of time!

-Ed 9 AM Sunday Morning, Sept 5

Arunah Hilll Days Update

The latest forecast looks like Arunah will miss most of the bad effects of Hurricane Earl, just some showers around Friday night, and not even too much wind, though it's possible some of the showers will be heavy.

We should see clearing by daybreak on Saturday, with winds peaking in early afternoon. Saturday night should be mostly clear with some breezy conditions, but nothing too bad.

At this point, we're making a few changes to the schedule:

1) NASA Ambassador Jim Zebrowski's talk will move to 7 PM on Saturday. Professor Barker's talk will immediately follow Jim's.

2) On Friday night will be showing the DVD "GalaxyQuest" in the pavilion. It's a great Tim Allen-Sigourney Weaver spoof of the StarTrek franchise. If time and interest demands, this will be followed by something from Steve Pielock's collection of SciFi gems. Free popcorn!

3) The Scout kitchen will NOT open until mid-afternoon on Saturday. Please be prepared! If there is interest, I'll sell Mrs. Murphy's Donuts on Saturday morning. I'll even volunteer to make a big pot of coffee, though no guarantees on the quality!

If anyone has any questions or concerns, please call me on my cell phone 860-818-8130. I'll be on the hill by noon on Friday.

-Ed

Earl Update

Earl is tracking to the northwest, and should make a northern turn sometime tonight... then turn to the northeast. Timing is still the key to how badly Arunah Hill is affected by the storm. At the moment the best guess is some moderate wind and rain Friday afternoon and evening at the center of the storm moves off the coast of Cape Cod, with clearing on Saturday.

No changes to the Arunah Hill Days Schedule has yet been made, everything is on as planned, but stay tuned!

Hurricane Earl Tuesday Update

No good news to report, if anything the projected track has moved westward a touch. The storm should make a northern turn tomorrow, then a northeastward turn later in the week. Timing is everything.

Hurrican Earl Update: Monday 10 PM

Looks like Hurricane Earl MIGHT affect Arunah Hill Days. Current Projection has it passing somewhere east of Arunah Hill in the early hours of Saturday Morning. Still a lot of uncertainty in the forecast... but Arunah Hill Days WILL go on as scheduled!

If we end up taking a direct hit, we have the option of juggling some events to Sunday.

Updates will be posted here every night between 9 PM and 11 PM through Thursday night, check back for the latest info!

-Ed

Ready for Arunah Hill Days!

After a weekend of mowing and cleanup, we're ready for Arunah Hill Days!

Thanks to Dan Carnevale, Ray Burk, Jonathan Klinkowski, Tom Walker and Kevin Collins for big efforts on Saturday, and to Joe Zuraw and Steve Pielock for their efforts on the tractor on Sunday. The hill looks great!

Now we just have to get hurricane Earl to turn out to sea!

-Ed

Arunah Hill Days 2010 Sunset Table

Date.............Sunset..End Twilight ..MoonRise
Wedneday 9/1 _7:29 PM___9:12 PM __ 11:22 PM
Thursday 9/2 _7:28 PM ___ 9:10 PM __ 12:21 AM
Friday 9/3 __ 7:26 PM ___ 9:08 PM __ 1:29 AM
Saturday 9/4 _ 7:24 PM ___ 9:06 PM __ 2:44 AM
Sunday 9/5 __ 7:23 PM ___ 9:05 PM __ 4:02 AM

Busy Weekend for the Arunah Hill NSC

Friday night wasn't as dark or transparent as it gets, but it was good enough to create some wow's for the three visitors from East Hampton who found there way up to Arunah Hill through a geocaching contact.

I was up on the hill with my son Tyler and his buddy James. We arrived on the hill around 10 PM to find the zenith clear and dark, but the southeastern window slopped up with a large light dome. Perseus was just clearing the trees in the northeast, so we were not sure how many past peak Persied meteors we would see.

We were soon rewarded with a half dozen zooming fireballs within 20 minutes. Most were faint, but one qualified as a dazzler. I was struck by how quick the Persieds move!

The highlight though was a sparatic out of the northwest that exploded into a bolide well below Polaris. The ground lite up like someone had set off a flashbulb.

Around 10:30 we saw a car pull in to the clearing, but it stopped short of the warming hut. A half hour later, a trio of folks warned up the hill and asked "where the telescope" was. Of course I can't resist showing off the Gaertner to some newbies. Soon Tyler and I had the Gaertner trained on all of the summer highlights... the Hercules Cluster, the Lagoon, the Wild Duck, Alberio, and the rising Andromeda galaxy and it's companions.

Well past midnight I turned the Gaertner on to Jupiter for a terrific show. Maybe transparency wasn't great, but the seeing was very steady. We all got GREAT views of Jupiter while still catching some quick persied meteors when not glued to the eyepiece. Our visitors left the hill, I suspect a bit overwhelmed by their tour of the universe, vowing to come back for Arunah Hill Days.

Just before we packed up, we caught Io emerge from behind Jupiter. First just a little bulge on the edge of the giant planet, but soon enough we could see some blackness between the moon and its planet. Just a few minutes later it was a huge gap.

By 1:30 the frequency of the meteors settled down, and we packed up for the drive home. I turned the wheel over to my son, who is much better qualified to drive at that hour than I. Nice night.

On Saturday night, my wife and I joined Kevin Collins and folks from the 5As up on Mount Greylock for a huge public star party. Greylock is a great location and Kevin did a terrific job on publicity, highlighted by an ebay worthy poster. When I pulled in to the parking lot it was already almost full with excited families headed for the tower.

I set up on the west edge of the tower and was soon showing off the thin crescent moon hugging the horizon. My little Astroscan seems to attract kids, and I soon had a steady line of folks who were treating to some interesting views of a orange moon with some great clould formations drifitng past.

Kevin's big dob, and Tom Walker with the Arunah 18" had lines all night. The clouds eventually won out, but I think everyone got to see some wonderful sites.

Exploring the tower at night, and getting to watch an Adams High School fireworks display, added to the evening's enjoyment. Thanks to Kevin and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation for organizing a great program.

And Not So Wow...

You'll be pleased to know that I went up to AH last evening (Wednesday 8/11) to see the spectacular Perseid meteor shower!

Naturally, I was all alone, just me and my little red lantern. And one far off Barred Owl. What a hoot!

The sky was spectacularly stunning; bright stars, many clouds and about 40% clear, exactly where the radiant was. I did see the Cygnus nebulae through my binoculars.

From 9:30 until 1:30, I counted about 60 meteors - 4 Perseids, 2 accidentals, and 54 very slow movers, with red and green blinking lights on the tips. Boeings and Airbuses, likely.

Weather was good, about 60 degrees, and quite dry. Around 1:30, the sky started to get somewhat foggy, and so did I.

-RDB

A Wow!

The August workday and a Notchview Public night turned out to be a terrific and productive one for Arunah Hill. The workday consisted of lots of mowing and a lubrication of the Gaertner telescope. We then used the historic scope to observer a couple of big sunspots, which we proudly showed off to a couple of pairs of geocachers who wandered onto the hill.


Thanks to Ray Burk, Matt Paine, Jonathan Klinkowski , Barry Herveux, Steve Pielock, and Tom Walker for all their hard work. One good mowing and we should be in pretty good shape for AH Days.


We did see some signs of mouse penetration into the telescope shed, but I think Tom had a good idea of what we need to do to deal with it. Fortunately, we found no damage to any of the scopes in the shed.


After some rest and lively discussion up at the pavilion (OK, I'll admit being the target of some of the humor... one flag indeed!), we moved on to nearby Notchview for the public observing. Dan Carnevale was already set up. We all even got to do some birdwatching and got to watch an American Kestral. The staff at Notchview treated us to a wonderful dinner highlighted by chicken and faccachia bread that was terrific, and zucchini chocolate cake.



I screwed the Hydrogen Alpha filter into the Genesis and slowed the scope onto the sun. As the sun popped in to focus, I was BLOWN AWAY by two large prominences dancing on one limb of the sun, while another 5 smaller flares could be seen around the sun. It was the most solar activity I had seen in many years! I got to share this view with several people as the public arrived for the Notchview Star Party... and the reaction ranged from a grumpy "ho-hum" to several "wow... that's amazing!". I was definitely in the latter camp!

As sunset fell, Venus popped out, brilliant, followed by Saturn then Mars. We turned the telescopes on planets, and our public star party was rolling. Tom and Jonathan keep the Arunah Hill 18" busy, Dan C had his wonderful refractor on the computer drive, and Steve Hershberg had his SCT slewing on objects as they emerged from the deepening twilight. We soon had a happy crowd.


I did a green laser sky tour as the milky way became dazzling after twilight. M-13 was naked eye and was a breathtaking object in the scopes. Cruising along the milky way yielded numerous Messier objects, all dazzling to the public. A few stray meteors and quite a few satellites added to the wonder of the evening.


Notchview is a wonderful spot for a public star party, with great horizons, dark skies, and creature comforts... real bathrooms and a warm house. Thanks to all who helped make this event such a big success.

-Ed

A Dark and Still Night on Arunah is Neither

For the first time in weeks, a promise of clear dark skies made the call to the hill too much for me to resist. I left my house at sunset, and by the time I turned onto Trouble Street night was started to overtake twilight. A small red fox darted out in front of me and safely made it into the woods with me as I drove up the empty hill, turned off the car, and emerged into the silence of nature. As the sky continued to darken to a velvet black, the silence of the hill turned out to not be so quiet after all.

Once away from the din of cars and trucks and the roar of suburban lawn mowers, the sounds of the night emerge… the cacophony of crickets, tree frogs, and night birds emerge from the silence. Off in the distance an owl announces its presence with authority. In the woods behind the clearing, the scurry of small animals can be heard. I’m sure that owl has heard them to…

Low in the west, Venus is blazing, but with two escorts on this evening. Saturn and Mars are nearby, and offer some stark contrasts in brightness and color to Venus’ glory.

The puffy clouds of the midsummer afternoon gave way, and the beautiful glowing “cloud” of the summer Milky Way emerges. This is what I’d come to see. I scanned the Milky Way, from the brilliant clusters off the stinger of Scorpio, caught the lagoon and Trifid and host of nebula and clusters in Sagittarius, then lingered on the rich star fields in Scutum.

I took a minute to just let the splendor of the summer Milky Way soak in… the rift was sharp in the cooling dry air. I picked up the binoculars again, and grin as I’m surprised by Collinder 399. To me, in binoculars, this cluster is a cosmic joke… it just too perfectly looks like a coat hanger, made up on identical 7th magnitude stars.

I completed my tour of the summer Milky Way, concluding with a game but failed try to pick out the North American Nebula. The whole area seems glowing to me, I can’t positively identify the object. The only time I’ve glimpsed this elusive object is under dark skies of Texas, and even then I needed on O3 filter.

After straining to see dim objects, I’m amazed at how bright the clearing looked. I could easily followthe road past the warming hut, and noticed the tall stack of firewood we’ve got aside it. The lesson is a dark night isn’t dark if you let the amazing human eye-brain adjust to it, and the night isn’t quiet, once you remove the sounds of civilization you hear the richness of nature.

Too soon a rising 3rd quarter moon put an end to my dark sky fun, though it put on its own moonrise dance show as it climbed through distant trees.

For a few quick hours on the hill, just me and the sky with my trusty old binoculars, the year could have been 2010 or just as easily been 1710 or hopefully 2110. A nice way to connect with nature and the wondrous universe we live in.

A Hazy Hot Humid Sunday in July

Since I couldn't make it to Easter Island today for the solar eclipse, I make a quick visit up to the hill to check on things. I haven't been on the hill in a while. Thanks to Ray Burk for being the sole volunteer for the July workday.

The hill was quiet except for the birds on a sunny afternoon. Temperatures were approaching 90. I got some mowing done, then retreated to the hut and used the radio see how the 2 meter band was working. I easily reached the repeater in Vernon, CT and talked to a ham in New Britain.

It's now only about seven weeks to Arunah Hill Days.

-Ed

Pot Luck and Rocket Launch on Saturday, May 29

Folks will start showing up at noon, Saturday, May 29 for the annual Memorial Day weekend feast. This year's fun will include geocaching (A genuine IGLOO is hidden on Arunah Hill!) and rocket building and launch. I've got a bunch of kits, should be plenty for all. We'll do the potluck dinner around 6:30 PM. No fried turkey this year, but I might just try barbequeing one.

The rocket launchs will be introduce a new competition: Keep the rocket in the air for 50 seconds exactly, and try to land it on the Gaertner Building. Lose one point for each second short or long, and deduct 1 point for each "Pielock Length" from the observatory. Loose 10 points for parts that fall off your rocket, you get disqualified if your rocket ends up in a tree.

Up to 3 launchs per team!

Any questions? Just email me: efaits@comcast.net

Aruanah Hill Educates, Entertains at Boy Scout Event

The Arunah Hill booth saw steady traffic for the weekend at UMass. Over 1,200 scouts camped out around Alumni stadium as part of ADVENTURE 2010, and most ended up coming past the Aruanah Hill booth during the day on Saturday.

Jim Zebrowski absolutely wowed the scouts. As a NASA solar system ambassador, Jim had plenty of props and great stories to keep the scouts fascinated. Jim developed a loyal following of scouts who came back for second or even third sessions. The NASA 3D Mars scape was also a big hit. Many thanks to the Hadley senior scouts, who staffed the display very ably.

Jim's scale model solar system was also a hit. Peter Scherff's meteorite collection and Jonathan Klinkowski's demonstrations of the RUM were also a draw.

A Fine May Day

It was a sunny and warm day on the Hill for the May work party. I arrived just after noon
to find Matt Paine, Ray Burk and Steve Pielock enjoying burgers provided by Jonathon
Klinkowski. I had one and then it was time to get to work.

Dan Carnevale had left before I arrived. Dany had dropped off a "new" donated heavy-duty plastic picnic table for the top of the hill. Matt finished getting the radio hooked up in the morning and it is now good to go.

Steve and Ray left after lunch and Matt, Jonathon, and I scouted some of the trails for blowdown
but they were in good shape despite the recent high winds. After that I fired up my chainsaw and cut down two trees at south end of the clearing and three to the east of the summit. After Matt and Jonathon left I started up my lawnmower and did a little mowing around the summit. I then started up the orange mower (first pull of the rope) and mowed around the Gaertner.

Ed arrived to check on things around 6:30 and as I was leaving at 7:00 I heard two woodpeckers hammering away in the woods south of the clearing. The seemed to be communicating back and forth. The Hill is in good shape for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend festivities. Thanks again to everyone who contributed their time and sweat to keeping Arunah Hill neat.
Barry

Olin College Students Enjoy the Hill

Last night a dozen students from the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering stayed over on the hill, and were treated to dazzling views of the moon and Saturn in the Gaertner Telescope.

The were hoping to see some Lyrid meteors after moonset, but I didn't last that long. Thanks to Jacob I. for organizing the trip.

NEAF a Treat

Thanks to Peter Scherff for again organizing a great Arunah Hill booth at NEAF. We picked up several new members and got to talk to amateur astronomers from throughout the northeastern United States. We even met two gentlemen from Finland, a crew of solar watchers from Virginia, an 11 year old boy from Houston, Tx and a 14 year old girl from Washington, DC that came a long way to enjoy the show.

Our booth was next to Shady Pines booth, a natural fit, a gold mine, and a live birds of prey demonstration. Peter was disappointed the hawk never went after the field house sparrows.

Hill in Great Shape after April Work Day

The hard work of last fall paid dividends as despite the heavy spring rains and run-off our road remains in good shape. Only a few buckets of gravel to smooth out some low spots will be needed once things dry out. In the meantime, the road is passible to the top in any vechicle, as long as a bit of caution is used.

The telescope shed continues to be rodent free, and the scopes all seem to be in great shape for spring. Our trails are in great shape too, as Chevy and Ben, Ray Burk, Tucker Blanchard and I walked and cleared the network. Thanks to Dan Carnevale for a quick tuneup on my chainsaw, and for setting up another bluebird house on the hill.

Peter Scherff, Barry Herveux and his ever-active chainsaw also helped out on the hill and John Klinkowski made burgers for the whole crew.

I faded by midafternoon, but re-inforcements were expected as Kevin Collins, Tom Walker, and Matt Paine were due on the hill to work on building maitenance and add to the radio tower. Tom also had a bluebird box to contribute to the hill.

Dan and Barry were then off to host the first Notchview public viewing of the season, and most of the rest of the crew were heading to Amherst College Observatory for the public sessions.

Spring has returned to the hill, and I'm looking forward to a great year at Arunah.

Thanks to all who helped out today.

-Ed

Scout Troop 504 Enjoys a March Campout

You might think high thin clouds, a near full moon wouldn't make for a very good stargazing event, but Troop 504 from North Amherst, MA were treated to some great views in the 100 year old Gaertner telescope tonight. In addition to the moon, Saturn, Mars, the Orion Nebula, and some double stars drew great reviews from the 10 scouts and their leaders who were sending a seasonable cool March night camping out in Scout Heaven.

An iridium flare and some great questions from the kids added to the evening. The Scouts even helped me reposition the weights on the Gaertner drive to get the old 'scope tracking perfectly.

Four neighbors from down Trouble St dropped by to enjoy the view and even built a fire in the clubhouse so the scouts could warm up.

The driveway is now passable to the top in a four wheel drive, high clearance vehicle, but watch out for those ice channels, some are 4 inches deep. I made it to the lower lot just fine in my little Matrix.

-Ed

Bluebird Houses Placed on the Hill

It was spring in my backyard this afternoon, but a short hour later I found out it was still winter on Arunah Hill.

I placed five bluebird houses on the the Arunah Hill property. I couldn't find "optimal" sites for them, mostly I just placed them where I could get my posts into the ground.

Despite what your backyard may look like, there is still lots of snow on the hill, and the driveway is an icy mess past the barn. There is bare ground showing up here and there on the hill, but also knee deep slush piles in some spots.

On the bright side, looks like all of our buildings wintered over quick nicely.

I'd guess with several more days of warmth and sunshine, things could improve quickly. I expect we'lll at least be able to have an April workparty.

Thanks to Tom Johnson, Joan Presz, and my wife Cathy for the bluebird houses. We could still use a few more if anyone else wants to put one together. Now we'll have to wait and see if any nesting pairs like our hill.

-Ed

Snow, Snow, Snow!

It was such a beautiful day down in the Valley, 55 degrees and sunny, that I thought I'd hit the road and find out just why Ed cancelled the work party. After all - there was no snow anywhere here, and surely 40 miles or so couldn't make that much of a difference! Could it?

Ha!

It was snowy. Big time! The first photo shows the entrance - the large snow mound on the left is the mail box:

The left photo is the barn - note the large snow mound blocking the door, with my car for comparison: The right shot shows the barn from the rear:

If anyone is tempted to head up to do some observing, wait!! There is about 15-20+ inches of snow from the driveway on, and snowshows are a must. The final shot is a pan of the path from the barn up to the parking lot. Note my footprints, and Ernie's new goat shed:

My apologies for the pan resolution - the original is 10+ megapuppies, and wouldn't fit in the upload. Anyhow, you get the idea! Maybe the snow will be gone by July ...

RDB

All is quiet...and cold...on the Hill

Matt Paine and I had a little time to make a quick stop on the Hill this past Friday afternoon. We wanted to check all the facilities and see what kind of shape the road was in. Unfortunately last weekend's "sanding" (work) party may have been a bit futile as old man winter and the Hill's elevation left a good 5-7 inch fluffy snowcover on the road. Right at the barn I put my truck in 4 wheel drive and we gently, as to not dig any ruts in the road, made it up past the lower lot. At the first hill I instantly felt all 4 wheels break loose, even in first gear with very little throttle. The hill, combined with a slippery base layer of wet snow, and 5+ inches of fluffy stuff was enough to overcome any friction I had. I backed down, put it in 4 wheel Low and locked the rear differential. I let the truck's idle take us up as it supplied just enough torque to not brake any wheels loose. We made it gently up to about 50 yards below the clearing and started to break loose again. Mind you I've had my Tacoma up to well past its hubs and skid plates in snow behind the Deerfield rail yard before with no issues. The road on the Hill Friday had just the right mix of conditions to cause the need for chains.....well unless of course I wanted to "gun" it and risk digging up the road or worse ending up against a tree. Neither of which I preferred....so we parked my truck and walked the remainder of the way.

Aside from 6+ inches of snow and some deeper drifts (one 10 incher on the road), the Hill was quiet with cold temps and blowing snow. The clubhouse was still buttoned up, Pavillion looked good and the telescope shed still rodent free. Of course the half iced and snowed over pad near the clubhouse sent a sturdy "I'm not ready for spring yet...." message from old man winter. The sky was partly clouded over but a nice crescent moon shone high above the clubhouse with the new HAM radio antenna looking as if it was pointing it out for us.

After a few minutes of taking in the snowy hill we headed back to my truck and off to dinner. With the potential for some good snow storms this week I'm thinking that groundhog was on to something after all.......











-Kevin.

Sanding the Road and Radio to the Far Reaches

We had a good turnout for the February workday. Dan Carnevale, Kevin Collins, Ray Burk, Tom Walker, Matt Paine, and I spread several barrels of sand on the slick spots of the driveway. By afternoon, even my little 2-wheel drive Matrix easily made it to the top of the hill.

We inspected the telescope storage shed, and were pleased that there are no signs of a rodent problem.

With the outside temperature hovering around 25 F and the sun struggling to break through the high overcast, we gathered around the wood stove and Matt went to work on the ham radio. Matt was soon hitting repeaters all over New England and New York. He had conversations with folks in Westboro, Ma, Troy, New York, and Rhode Island.

With a massive Nor'easter just south of the New England coast, the prospects for a clear night on Arunah seemed to fade. If the weather holds, the hill will be in good shape for next weekend's winter star party.... though a midweek storm looks like it might have other plans. We'll just have to wait and see.

Our mailbox was a midwinter casualty of snowplowing. I ran into town to pick up the Arunah Hill mail. We'll have to put mailbox repair on the list for the March workday.

Thanks to all who helped today.
-Ed

Midwinter's Day

Joe Zuraw carved out a tractor path to the top of the hill yesterday, and today Joe and I spread some sand on the newly rediscovered road and were able to get my little Matrix to the clearing. It's been a cold winter on the hill, but so far not a lot of snow. The cleaning looks like a wind-blown moonscape, frozen solid but down to bare ground in many spots. The trails have some drifting snow, I walked part of the Farrington trail and the snow varied from ankle to knee deep.



With a bit of luck from the weather and a solid workday next Saturday, the hill should be usable for star parties in February.

All of the buildings appear to be wintering over just fine, and so far the trails have seen a significant amount of blow-down. We still have the back half of the winter to go through, but for me it was nice to be back on the hill for the first time in six weeks.

Just to preview the upcoming spring, we'll again have a Memorial Day feast on the Saturday, May 29. It will be just two days after the full moon, so don't expect any great dark sky viewing, but Saturn will be just past opposition and Mars will be high in the south at sunset. Expect a few new geocaches to be hidden, and we'll have the First Annual Arunah Rocket Challenge: You goal, launch a model rocket (NAR approved!) keep it in the air for the prescribed time (to be chosen on launch day, but say 75 seconds) and try to land it on the bulls eye. For every second away from 75 seconds, and every yard away from the bulls eye, you get one penalty point. The person with the lowest score wins!


Bring your own rocket, or build one on site (I'll have a few kits available, plus a selection of engine sizes). You can have up to 3 chances, so you can change engines, add weigh, or change parachute / streamer size to you get that perfect combination.


Circle September 14 on your calendars. We're going to have a fundraiser at Flatbread's in Canton CT! We'll get a few dollars for every pizza sold that night, plus we'll have a raffle and some telescopes out on the sidewalk. Invite friends! Flatbread's has great food and is a fun place. It's at the Farmington Valley Shoppes, with great shopping for everyone in the family. Kohl's, Barnes and Noble, Dicks' Sports, Talbot's, Kid Jamboree, and other specialty shops make it a fun destination even of a drive for some of us.

-Ed