The bright
sun seemed to put new heart into all.
The next day brought a north-easterly wind with the very high
temperature of 27° Fahr.--only 5° below freezing. "These high
temperatures do not always represent the warmth which might be assumed
from the thermometrical readings. They usually bring dull, overcast
skies, with a raw, muggy, moisture-laden wind. The winds from the
south, though colder, are nearly always coincident with sunny days and
clear blue skies."
The temperature still continued to rise, reaching 33° Fahr. on
November 14. The thaw consequent upon these high temperatures was
having a disastrous effect upon the surface of our camp. "The surface
is awful!--not slushy, but elusive. You step out gingerly. All is
well for a few paces, then your foot suddenly sinks a couple of feet
until it comes to a hard layer. You wade along in this way step by
step, like a mudlark at Portsmouth Hard, hoping gradually to regain the
surface. Soon you do, only to repeat the exasperating performance ad
lib., to the accompaniment of all the expletives that you can bring to
bear on the subject. What actually happens is that the warm air melts
the surface sufficiently to cause drops of water to trickle down
slightly, where, on meeting colder layers of snow, they freeze again,
forming a honeycomb of icy nodules instead of the soft, powdery,
granular snow that we are accustomed to.
Pages:
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179