The Abominable Snow Spider.

The Abominable Snowman seems to have arrived in Western Culture around 1921.  It came back with the crew of the Royal Geographic Society's "Everest Reconnaissance Expedition," or a mission to find a north route to the peak of Everest.  Yes, famed mountaineer Mallory was on the expedition, but Charles-Howard Bury was the leader.  He was Irish, and knowing how my Irish friends enjoy a wee tipple now and again, it makes sense that this is the first pop-culture report of the abominable snowman.  Now to be fair, it was a newsman who coined the term abominable, and the Sherpa's who pointed out the track, and our Irish guy didn't really buy it...but it sounds funnier if I blame it on the Irish lad.  Pre 1921 and pre pop culture, there are innumerable accounts of abominable snowmen...but they are by the Nepalese and Tibetans...and they are called Yeti or Metoh-kangmi (loosely translating to man-bear snowman).

I can sadly report that southern Saskatchewan appears to be Yeti-free (so far).  But I found something equally terrifying.  The morning's heavy frost revealed....the lair of the abominable spider.  To the best of my knowledge, the cold Saskatchewan winters are supposed to make for fewer and smaller bugs.  This behemoth arachnid pad was a little disconcerting to find in December.  Pretty.  But disconcerting.

I guess that explains where this came from a few weeks ago.  I couldn't figure out where some a large critter was living in the dead of winter.  He appears to have frozen solid.  Perhaps the abominable snow spiders aren't really all that resilient.  I almost felt bad for the little guy.  Alas, the tale of the abominable snow spider ends in tragedy.  Unless he unthaws and scurries off in a few months.  Seems unlikely, but that's what abominable things do.