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WINTER?
PLENTY MORE TO COME!
#30: 28 January thru 2 February 2026
All photos, videos, maps, charts, drawings, and text © Hilton Pond North
Just before dawn today (2 February) atop Gobbler's Knob in Western Pennsylvania—exactly 333 straight-line air miles from Hilton Pond North here in upper Ashe County NC—a rather obese, highly pampered, and less than reliable rodent was yanked abruptly from his climate-controlled "burrow," thrust high in the air by handlers in top hats, and reportedly saw his shadow, indicating a supposed "six more weeks of winter." Well, of COURSE he did, for heaven's sake. Dozens of brilliant television lights illuminated the debacle. How could he NOT see his shadow?
We're referring, of course, to Punxsutawney Phil, the infamous girth-challenged Groundhog (artistic rendering above), who since 1887 has been called upon by weather geeks across the world to prognosticate when winter will end. A true meteorologist phat Phil is not, and an estimated 85 times out of 140 (61%) he has been absolutely wrong in his predictions—being proven "correct" only 55 times. Why, phony Phil might as well flip a coin with his chubby little five-toed front paw to determine the weather; even 50:50 coin-toss results would be significantly more accurate.
All photos, videos, maps, charts, drawings, and text © Hilton Pond North
Incidentally, we also host a feral female Groundhog (aka Whistlepig) at Hilton Pond North (fair-weather photo at left), but she's smart enough (having begun true hibernation the previous autumn) to keep on snoozing away in her tunnel during February's first week.
There was a time we felt confident about fabulist Phil's forecast. We even wore an athletic T-shirt from good ol'
All photos, videos, maps, charts, drawings, and text © Hilton Pond North
Now if you REALLY want a reliable forecast, we refer you to Hilton Pond Harry, the svelte little White-footed Mouse, who got his introduction to meteorological mysteries years ago back at Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History in York SC. Handsome Harry, who goes formally by Peromyscus leucopus, quickly earned the reputation of out-predicting that mammoth marmot from Pennsylvania. Lucky for us, when we moved north to upper Ashe County NC, Harry hitched a ride among logs in Amy Girten's sleek and shiny pickup and landed here at Hilton Pond North. He made his Blue Ridge Mountain debut in 2025, correctly predicting a six-week extension of the winter season.
Harry, unlike that waffling Woodchuck in Pennsylvania, is active year-round and this morning scurried out of his comfy grass-lined outdoor domicile for a look at the sky. He paused long enough to see his shadow (image above) and asked us to pass to you his reliable, verifiable prediction: "This winter WILL last another month and a half. Guaranteed"
Yes, this year two rodents—big and small—apparently agree, but now you've heard the honest, true forecast from a mighty mouse whose weather skills are unsurpassed. Hilton Pond Harry says be sure to enjoy and appreciate all that snow that accumulated this past week. Without doubt the frozen white stuff is destined to be with us at Hilton Pond North—and elsewhere—for a long, long, long, long time, i.e., "six more weeks of winter." Brrrr.
The adventure continues . . . .
Punxsutawney High School, home of the "Chucks." But after a dismal series of false futurisms by fake Phil, our quest for scientific accuracy led us to abandon Groundhog-ism forever. We hold no malice toward Phil and wish him the best, but these days we confidently cast our lot with heroic, hard-working Harry.
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