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The Ishawooa Horse's Head down South Fork of the Shoshone River outside of Cody, WY.

Ishawooa Horse’s Head

The Ishawooa Horse’s Head is actually a pattern in the snow. It starts with the head and flowing mane, and clearly showing reins. The trappers in the area used that as a signal of sorts. When the reins broke, that meant the majority of the spring runoff was over and the high mountain passes to Jackson Hole would be open enough to get through.  Many have told me that the ‘reins’ break usually around Father’s Day (since at least the 1940s).

It’s now a fun little phenology project for the snowpack each year.

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Ishawooa Horse's Head outside Cody, Wyoming

Around here mid-June 2020

I thought this Friday I’d share some of the various news items related to Yellowstone and the surrounding areas. This ...

FIELD NOTES

  • 2016: The reins appeared to be broken on June 12 this year.

 

EXTERNAL LINKS

  • Snowtel sites give a more scientific view of the winter snowpack (though the average has been adjusted and does not reflect all the data captured since the 1970s)

 

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