CELEBRATING GROUND-HOG DAY 51 



the west. It was the Chinook wind a warm, 

 dry wind which melts snow quickly and carries 

 the moisture off on the wind without ever wetting 

 the earth. The Indians call it the "snow eater." 

 George had breakfast and did a few chores, then 

 had another look at the thermometer. It was 

 up to forty-one and the snow was rapidly melt- 

 ing. 



I then told him of a night I had had camping out 

 in an old cabin. I was cold in my sleeping bag in 

 the early evening. During the night I had got so 

 warm that I thought the cabin was on fire. But it 

 was just a Chinook. At five o'clock in the eve- 

 ning there had been seven inches of snow over 

 the earth. At six the following morning it was 

 gone and the ground bare and dry. 



Near the house George and I were overtaken 

 by a man on horseback. During the day's ride 

 he had seen coyotes, prairie dogs, deer, and 

 mountain sheep; but not a ground-hog. He had 

 ridden up from the plains where it had been 

 snowing all day. So several miles away the 

 ground-hogs could not see their shadow while 

 those up here could have seen theirs if they had 

 cared to look. 



What kind of weather would we have during 

 the next six weeks ? Would it be determined by 

 the ground-hogs of the plains or by those in the 

 mountains? What kind of weather would 



