Seek the Peak is a hike-a-thon fundraiser to benefit the nonprofit Mount Washington Observatory. Now in its ninth year, Seek the Peak is a great way to get out and experience the White Mountains while helping a great cause.

The Challenge

Here's how it works: you register, raise a minimum of $100, and then join us on July 25 for a great day on Mount Washington. You solicit support from family, friends and co-workers, and they make their donation one of three ways:

1. The easiest way to round up support is to create your own Seek the Peak hiker page on SeekthePeak.org. You can send the link to your page to friends and family all over the world, and they can give online using their credit card.
2. You can also solicit donations the old fashioned way, by printing the Seek the Peak donation form and using it to record your pledges.
3. The third way to round up support is to ask businesses in your area to join the event as a sponsor. There are several sponsorship levels available with a number of great benefits. Check out the sponsors page, and Call Karen at (800) 706-0432 ext. 230 for more information.

The Cause: The Legendary Mount Washington Observatory

Since 1932, hardy observers have lived and worked in one of the most extreme places on Earth–the summit of New Hampshire's Mount Washington. Bitter cold, dense fog, heavy snow and legendary wind combine to make the mountain a truly harsh place. In fact, the fastest surface wind gust in the world was recorded by the staff of the Mount Washington Observatory in April of 1934, an astonishing 231 miles per hour! To this day, scientists, educators, interns and volunteers live and work on the summit of the northeast's tallest peak, observing and documenting the "world's worst weather".

Off the mountain, cutting edge research takes place at the Observatory's Bartlett Research Facility. In collaboration with partners such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation, University of New Hampshire and many others, Mount Washington Observatory conducts important research in regional air quality, mountain weather and climate, marine atmospheric chemistry and instrument siting.

For more than a decade, Observatory outreach educators have traveled across the region in a Subaru "Weathermobile" bringing interactive weather programs into classrooms, libraries, science centers, and other locations. Observatory educators teach children and adults about the fundamentals of our weather and climate, and the complex natural systems of our environment. New for 2009, students across the nation now have the ability to connect with weather observers at the summit through videoconferencing technology. This new Distance Learning program will help educate students about weather and climate with the mountain's notorious extremes as a captivating backdrop.

In our Weather Discovery Center science museum in North Conway Village, NH, visitors explore unique, hands-on exhibits, which educate about the fundamentals of weather and Mount Washington's extreme conditions. Additionally, two daily "Live from the Rockpile" presentations, offered by Observatory summit staff via video conference, give museum visitors a real-time look at life on the mountain. These unique, interactive programs also help visitors understand how weather works, how weather observations are made and what goes into the making of a forecast.

For an inside look at the Mount Washington Observatory, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, including current conditions, webcams, forums and extensive weather information, visit www.MountWashington.org.