Strapping on my cute pink show shoes for the first time in over 30 years. |
At some point in my youth… Around the age of 14 or 15 or so,
I had the opportunity to strap on a pair of snow shoes and trek through an open
field. The wood and sinew snow shoes
weighed a ton. I had to swing my legs
out to the side, lifting the snow shoes around each other in order to make any
progress. It was hard work and it was
wonderful.
CA eating snow off a spruce branch along the trail. |
I remember thinking when I first moved to Houston that snow
shoeing would be a fun thing to take up.
We certainly had the snow for it.
But it never happened. Instead, I
ended up getting married, having a few kids and things like trekking about in
the snow were not a priority.
One of the spectacular sights deep in "Merkwood" |
Winter sports – sports in general, actually – have never
held great appeal for me. You are not
likely to find me down at the gym working out or on the field or court scoring
goals or points. It just isn’t me. (Although, I did quite enjoy badminton back
in the day.) I like walking. That’s about it. Walking is enjoyable and, while it may not
be a sport, it’s about as ambitious as I get when it comes to “exercise.”
Walking in the winter is just as enjoyable, but it can be
somewhat more problematic, particularly if you have a hankering to walk
off-road.
Breaking trail. |
This past summer, I came across two pairs of snow shoes at a
yard sale for $10 each. I was thrilled
and quickly withdrew a crisp $20 bill from my wallet to give in trade for this
amazing treasure. The snow shoes were
not wood and sinew. They were aluminium and plastic. One pair was blue and one
pair was pink. I could hardly wait for
winter. As it turned out, I traded the
blue pair, which was much too big for me, to a friend for her husband in
exchange for a smaller pair for my daughter.
I purchased a pair of Nordic ski poles and some warm snow pants and I
was set. We were all set! Let the snow shoeing adventures begin!
My first trek was a short one along the dike to gather wood
for my Yule tree project. My second trek
was through a local park and along the dike with some friends at a snow shoeing
workshop. My third trek was a 45-minute
hike with friends through another local park.
Oops! It's harder than it looks! L lost her footing and down she went. |
Gathering sticks along the dike. |
On Boxing Day my daughter and two dear friends went to another
dear friend’s home, a gorgeous 250 acre parcel of land just out of town where
we strapped on our snow shoes and left civilization behind for a 90-minute trek
through the woods and across the field.
It was amazing. The crisp winter
air filled our lungs and the soft blanket of snow packed under our feet as we
followed a winding trail through the bush.
We followed fence lines for a time.
We climbed hills and descended into dips. There were a couple of wipe-outs as some of
us fell laughing in the snow. And all
too soon, we found ourselves back at the beginning a little tired, but even
more rejuvenated with our cheeks aglow with smiles all around.
Just starting out on the path through the woods. |
Snow shoeing does not facilitate conversation very
well. It’s hard to talk when you are
concentrating on not tripping over your over-sized feet. What it does facilitate, though, is a common
bond with nature, a communion of silent companionship and a deep appreciation
for shared experience. Together we
walked in a winter wonderland as five friends.
And that is priceless.
Very nice story and pics
ReplyDeleteMmm....a walk in the snow! Such fun - but I'll stick to my boots, I trip over my feet enough as it is!
ReplyDelete