Magazine

Goofers | Lexicon

When tourists reach the summit of Mount Washington, they will invariably look around and ask questions of the people who work there. Some of these tourists have been given a name by the summit workers. They are called goofers. And from their questions you can see why. This is my first trip to Mount Washington. […]

By Yankee Magazine

Sep 15 2014

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lexicon-blueWhen tourists reach the summit of Mount Washington, they will invariably look around and ask questions of the people who work there. Some of these tourists have been given a name by the summit workers. They are called goofers. And from their questions you can see why.
  • This is my first trip to Mount Washington. What am I supposed to do now?
  • Do you have any hair dryers up here?
  • I just took a picture outside. Could you tell me what I took a picture of?
  • Did they start building the road from the bottom or the top?
  • Are we higher than the sky?
  • Are the brooks out there fresh or salt water?
  • At what time will this fog clear?
  • Tell me, who would want to come up here in weather like this?
  • I lost my wife. Do you have any suggestions?
–courtesy of the Mount Washington ObservatoryExcerpt from “The Sampler,” Yankee Magazine, September 1994.