Indian Summer 2014

“The air is perfectly quiescent and all is stillness, as if Nature, after her exertions during the Summer, were now at rest.” ~ John Bradbury, 1817 (noaa.gov)

Aaahhh… Indian Summer.

There’s no finer epilogue to decadent July and August than a string of autumn days exactly like those we’ve been enjoying in Essex lately. Quiescent air indeed! Scarcely a breath of wind in days. And Lake Champlain scarcely undulates limpid, almost viscous on sun soaked afternoons.

While the late September sailing season suffered slightly, virtually everything else has profited. The almost frost-free harvest. The flamboyant foliage. Hiking and cycling have been generous beyond recent compare. Pigment soaked sunsets and mysterious, misty morning have bookended bluebird skies that send you scrambling for sunscreen you already tossed into a bin for next summer.

Whether or not we feel entitled to the reward, we’ve all had the opportunity to enjoy Indian Summer 2014. And we’re talking about it, sometimes almost boasting about it. In fact, it seems that the reference comes tumbling out of mouths each time I turn around. “Incredible Indian Summer, no?” “You taking advantage of this amazing Indian Summer?” “I hope this Indian Summer never ends!” “Will this Indian Summer NEVER end? I’m ready for fall…”

Last week a North Country friend shared the quip about Indian Summer in his Twitter stream:

I had 2 separate groups from Germany yesterday, came specifically to see “Indian Summer”. I was like…. huh? ~ Doug (@tourpro) September 24, 2014

Questioned 2nd group about this, they said it was the colors and time of year when Indians would attack the settlers. ~ Doug (@tourpro) September 24, 2014

What Is Indian Summer?

It turns out that this opinion is not the exclusive domain of Germans. Nor is it necessarily wrong. You see the derivation of the term “Indian Summer” isn’t altogether certain. An opinions abound. I’ve tried to ferret out a few helpful possibilities to cloak my own ignorance on the matter. Enjoy them, reject them or propose your own alternative. (Points for creativity if you elect option three!)

Indian summer bonfire on the beach (Photo: George Davis)

The term “Indian Summer” dates back to the 18th century in the United States. It can be defined as… a period of considerably above normal temperatures, accompanied by dry and hazy conditions ushered in on a south or southwesterly breeze. Several references make note of the fact that a true Indian Summer can not occur until there has been a killing frost/freeze. Since frost and freezing temperatures generally work their way south through the fall, this would give credence to the possibility of several Indian Summers occurring in a fall, especially across the northern areas where frost/freezes usually come early. (noaa.gov)

I’d never been aware of the frost prerequisite, but I cam across this repeatedly in my quest to untangle the fuzzy facts behind the term “Indian Summer”. Here again:

Some claim that an Indian summer cannot come until after the first damaging frost of autumn, or after a severely cold episode sometimes known as a “Squaw Winter”. (BBC News)

Have you ever noticed that pursuing one mystery leads onto others? Now I’m gifted this delightful bauble, “Squaw Winter”, and I haven’t even yet taken rightful ownership of “Indian Summer”. Add to the bounty of fall’s harvest a wordsmith’s smorgasbord laden with tasty treats.

Back to our quest:

Here are criteria for an Indian summer:

As well as being warm, the atmosphere during Indian summer is hazy or smoky, there is no wind, the barometer is standing high, and the nights are clear and chilly.

A moving, cool, shallow polar air mass is converting into a deep, warm, stagnant anticyclone (high pressure) system, which has the effect of causing the haze and large swing in temperature between day and night.

The time of occurrence is important: The warm days must follow a spell of cold weather or a good hard frost.

The conditions described above must occur between St. Martin’s Day (November 11) and November 20. For over 200 years, The Old Farmer’s Almanac has adhered to the saying, “If All Saints’ (November 1) brings out winter, St. Martin’s brings out Indian summer.” (almanac.com)

Why Is It Called Indian Summer?

Indian Summer on Lake Champlain with the Adirondack foothills in the distance. (Photo: George Davis)

So a relatively consistent definition of Indian Summer is emerging, but what of the curious name. Perhaps Doug’s German tour groups were actually onto something.

Why is Indian summer called Indian summer? There are many theories. Some say it comes from the early Algonquian Native Americans, who believed that the condition was caused by a warm wind sent from the court of their southwestern god, Cautantowwit.

The most probable origin of the term, in our view, goes back to the very early settlers in New England. Each year they would welcome the arrival of a cold wintry weather in late October when they could leave their stockades unarmed. But then came a time when it would suddenly turn warm again, and the Native Americans would decide to have one more go at the settlers. “Indian summer,” the settlers called it. (almanac.com)

So there you have it! A credible source leaning upon centuries of lore just might be the key to our mystery. Though rest assured, this theory is one of many, and others are not all so bellicose.

One explanation of the term “Indian Summer” might be that the early native Indians chose that time of year as their hunting season… the mild and hazy weather encourages the animals out, and the haziness of the air gives the hunter the advantage to sneak up on its prey without being detected. Taking this idea one step further, Indians at that time were known to have set fires to prairie grass, underbrush and woods to accentuate the hazy, smokey conditions… Other possibilities include… that this was the season of the Indian harvest; or, that the predominant southwest winds that accompanied the Indian Summer period were regarded by the Indians as a favor or “blessing” from a “god” in the desert Southwest. (noaa.gov)

Having just returned from Santa Fe a week ago – anticipating a chilly, windy end-of-month – I feel compelled to lean on this last idea. Is it impossible that some of the Southwest weather slipstreamed behind the jet, hitchhiking its way to the North Country? Unlikely, I suppose, but it’s an amusing image.

Before handing the closing credits off to Frank Sinatra who’s lilting lullaby (or eulogy) to Indian Summer may offer better insights than my own, I’d like to share one last attempt to explain the term.

Finally, another hypothesis, not at all in the American Indian “camp” of theories, was put forward by an author by the name of H. E. Ware, who noted that ships at that time traversing the Indian Ocean loaded up their cargo the most during the “Indian Summer”, or fair weather season. Several ships actually had an “I.S.” on their hull at the load level thought safe during the Indian Summer. (noaa.gov)

Frank Sinatra Sings “Indian Summer”

Indian Summer Lyrics

Summer, you old Indian summer
You’re the tear that comes after June-time’s laughter
You see so many dreams that don’t come true
Dreams we fashioned when summertime was new
You are here to watch over some heart
That is broken by a word that somebody left unspoken
You’re the ghost of a romance in June going astray
Fading too soon, that’s why I say
Farewell to you, Indian summer
You are here to watch over a heart
That is broken by a word that somebody left unspoken
You’re the ghost of a romance in June going astray
Fading too soon, that’s why I say
Farewell to you, Indian summer
You old Indian summer

(via MetroLyrics)