Map Location A
Never Summer Range: niiciibiicei'i
Arapaho Meaning: never summertime
These mountains may have been named for the harsh winters here. Deep snowdrifts accumulate that melt only briefly during the summer. There is an Arapaho myth that may also explain the name. When they were in camp White-Owl and Thunder-Bird (the summer bird) challenged each other for an exhibition of their powers. So Thunder-Bird started up clouds, black as coal, making a tremendous noise and great wind. White-Owl (the winter bird) started its white looking clouds, which moved fast and thick, the clouds flying very low and blowing with a piercing wind. Now the black clouds and the white clouds met, but the white clouds of the white bird scattered snow, which drifted, so that there was a blizzard and nothing could be seen, and everything was frozen up. So the white bird gained the day and was considered the most powerful. This myth may explain the names of the Never Summer Range, White Owls (Mummy Range), and Thunder Pass (Lulu). Geographically Thunder Pass connects the Never Summers with the White Owls. The conflict may have taken place in the Never Summer mountains, which is why there is never summer there, since the winter bird prevailed and caused blizzards and snow to freeze the land. To this day summer comes late to these mountains and leaves early, and snow is here for most of the year.
