Guys and Gals, you asked for it, and heeeeeere it is!
Over the last view days we have been taking to the woods in the fashion of the hare. Yes that's right, we evolved from mere booted hikers to wide-footed stompers. I am talking about snowshoes kids. Snowshoes, quite possibly one of the greatest winter inventions of all time!
Pack the truck!
The snowshoes were a sort of impulse buy on my part last year, but I am very glad that I made it now.
Chels and I headed East to the Tippy Dam Recreation area, a beautiful mass of land whith the North Country Trail running through it. Without the ability to safely make it up the road on foot we decided to hike a bit along the western portion of the river.
As the bank was quite slippery, we opted for the trail the runs along the bank; a safer route indeed.
The ice covered backwaters were calm and the air was filled with nothing, just nothing, not even a passing car could be heard. I spotted a wild photographer while rounding the bend:
Notice how she sheds her stompers when approaching civilization.
We found the trails around Tippy to be overrun by snowmobiles, packing them down to the hardness of a sidewalk, not at all good for shoeing. So we headed home for snacks.
After some much needed nourishment, we again strapped on the snowshoes, this time we headed out on Chels' Grandparents.
One major difference between public land and private property is that the latter is undisturbed and you snowshoes are able to float atop the pristine fluff.
As you can see in places like this the only things with which you share the snow are the animals. Their runways are much like our freeways; there exists a main path, where all the animals travel and inroads and off-ramps where each animal customizes the path to suite his needs. It is really amazing.
The true beauty of the snowshoe is that it allows you to access many places that are very difficult to reach, something that I love, get me away from everything.
Though the snow was not fresh, it was deep enough to support the weight of a hiker with ease. I would really like to wake up one of these mornings to a fresh dumping of lake-affect. Oh how I would tromp and hop around.
Clomp and stomp where no one else has been and you will find true happiness!
What a day of snowshoeing, such activities can leave on so exhausted that they just fall where they are:
... ok, to be fair she was not napping, she was getting the perfect angle for her shot!
The aforementioned animal highway!
What a splendid day indeed.
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Day two of snowshoeing called for hopping on the property behind my childhood home.
The sky was cloudy so not too many quality photos made it out, but the hike was great. The shoes again floated on the snow, which is beginning to become a little crusty. We walked upon a pot where my family has been piling brush for a while and Chelsea and I found that it appears to be a rabbit motel!
Welcome to the Rabbit hole!
Chelsea thought about hanging with them for a while, but they were not home.
Onward we trudged, through the thick pine trees, up small hill after small hill until we reached the top of the hill behind my house:
I can see for miles and miles and milessssss......
Without the snowshoe this little trip would have been nearly impossible.
On our way back to the house I walked Chelsea around our property, by the areas where I played as a child, where I rode dirtbikes, and where we used to cut Christmas trees down.
Just before we came to the barnyard we happened across one of the main reasons that we go snowshoeing;
Look, in the middle, this little little guy in the middle, a rabbit at the base of a pine tree.
I love being outside for many reasons; fresh air, exercise, friendship and entertainment, but by far one of the best reasons for enjoying the out of doors is the chance of encountering animals. It is such a rush to see even the smallest of animals.
I have to say it again: Nature Rocks!
Hope you enjoyed this SnowShoe Extravaganza!
There will be more fun-ness to come!
-J
