Observatory now putting QR code on weather signage

CONWAY — Metal signs with a bright yellow vinyl overlay and black lettering designed by the Mount Washington Observatory are posted at 100-plus Presidential Range and Franconia Notch trailheads to warn hikers that weather conditions may be dangerous at high elevations.

Each sign includes a prominent QR code that allows hikers at the start of a path leading up to higher elevations — where WiFi signals are often not available — to use their cellphones to access current weather conditions and high-elevation forecasts from the Obs. Observatory Life Trustee Jack Middleton of Freedom, president of the McLane Middleton law firm, explained in a phone interview that he came up with the idea of new trailhead warning signs after reading New Hampshire author Ty Gagne’s first two books: “Where You'll Find Me: Risk, Decisions, and the Last Climb of Kate Matrosova” and “The Last Traverse: Tragedy and Resilience in the Winter Whites.”