Several Moons Spotted On Mount Washington

[Kor37 9]

Several moons spotted on Mount Washington

AP

Posted: 2007-11-14 13:55:25

MOUNT WASHINGTON, N.H. (AP) - A century-and-a-half ago, so the story goes, New Hampshire native and meatpacking tycoon Sylvester Marsh went to the Legislature with a proposal to build a railway to the summit of Mount Washington.

 

They laughed and said he "might as well build a railway to the moon."

 

Make that moons.

 

Today, passengers chugging up Mount Washington in the Cog Railway can take in views spanning four states, Quebec and the Atlantic Ocean. They can breathe in the crisp mountain air, gaze at the bright sky and wonder at the breathtaking panorama of the Presidential Range.

 

And if the stars are in alignment, they can catch a glimpse of the moons.

 

Station Master Laura Hardiman said she didn't realize how frequently it happened until she worked as a brakeman - hikers dropping their pants to salute the steam-powered locomotive as it passed them by.

 

"I think it is a really long-standing 20- or 30-year tradition, if you want to call it that, for some of the through hikers," she said.

 

It happens so frequently, Hardiman said, that some tourists thought the moonings are part of the train fare.

 

They aren't, though some rail workers make it a point to mention them.

 

"Sometimes one of the more tactful brakemen will say, 'There is one more thing we need to tell you about,"' Hardiman said. "Be prepared, whether this means covering your eyes or getting out your camera, I am not sure, but we do have hikers who potentially could be mooning the train."

 

Near the end of the summer the moonings became more frequent.

 

"They were horrified. Little kids cried. Some people cracked up and thought it was funny. But a lot of people were highly offended," Hardiman said.

 

Someone complained, and that's when the law got involved.

 

Undercover officers - an off-duty trooper and a ranger dressed in hiking clothes - started riding the train.

 

They caught the culprits literally with their pants down.

 

During a couple of weekends authorities cited eight hikers - including one woman - for flashing their cheeks at the train.

 

Because the moonings happened in the White Mountain National Forest, the accused mooners were given summons to pay a fine or appear in U.S. District Court in Concord.

 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Kinsella said Wednesday he had not heard of the case, or seen any of the accused mooners in court, but would look out for them.

 

Information from: New Hampshire Public Radio, WEVO-FM, http://www.nhpr.org/

 

 

 

:P

[oldfan1 0]

To quote CCR......."I see a bad moon a risin'....I see trouble on the way" :P