Just thought I'd start this thread under "Other Sports" so we can have a logical place to post about snowshoeing stuff. :)
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Just thought I'd start this thread under "Other Sports" so we can have a logical place to post about snowshoeing stuff. :)
Good idea, Lisa!
Sorry you don't have the snow! We won't get out snowshoeing this weekend - it's toooo cold! brrrrrrrrrrrr
It's a good time to catch up on a business law assignment I have to submit soon, and start working on the taxes. blech. Can you imagine?
I did go to kickboxing last night, though. No other participants, so I had a private lesson. Very different from the classes I took in my old hometown. That was an aikido dojo, this is a fight club. A smelly, black, metal filled boy's gym that hosts the one ladies class each night. The good part is that it takes about 2 minutes to walk there after work, and the class starts at just the right time. I still might shop around and see if here are other places to go.
Are you still riding?
Hugs,
~T~
Hi T,
Sometimes we find good new objectivity and inspiration in places we don't expect to. Perhaps your stinky dark male gym place is going to offer some new experiences and discoveries for you. Contrast can bring new awareness. If it's a convenient time and location, it will at least keep you excercising more often. :cool: Perhaps you'll absorb some of the testosterone in the air there and rise to spectacular new martial arts heights! :D
I rode bike yesterday only 12 miles- so cold at 23F. :eek: I *should* have ridden today, but like a fool I believed the weather report that said rain all morning, so I walked 3 miles instead. Turned out it was 40 and perfectly lovely and sunny for a bike ride! :mad: A missed opportunity, and now supposedly 3 days of sleet ahead of us. At least I walked.
I had an interesting snowshoe occurance today. We live a 1/2 mile from Main st here in our little rural town. While walking through town today, I saw a flyer in the window of the land conservancy office that told about upcoming snowshoe classes right near me! I wrote down all the info excitedly. At home I saw on my calendar that I would miss all 3 dates due to guests here and also an upcoming vacation in early Feb. I was devastated!! But then I did some thinking- the first clinic was setup for a week from now- and clearly there would not be snow here for it, so I called the Land Conserv. office to see what they were planning to do about that problem. The lady in the office was the one who was going to give the snowshoeing classes! She said they had already canceled the first one, and weren't too sure about snow for the other ones either. Then she said the most amazing thing- she said she keeps her snowshoes right there in her office and when there is snow she often goes out snowshoeing on her lunch break etc. She said if there is at least a 3" snow anytime time on a weekday, I should just call her and she would come meet me right 2 blocks from my house where one of their nature trails starts! This was the trail I had planned on trying my snowshoes out for the first time. She said she's be glad to get me started and give me a little lesson anytime! :) :) :) This is all just a couple of blocks from my house!!! Am I lucky or what??
Now I have a snowshoe mentor to help me get snowshoeing when we get our first big snow!
Yesterday we actually did get our first "real" snow- but only 2". By this morning it was down to 1" and spotty coverage. That's at least breaking the jinx of no snow at all I guess. I feel pretty dopey talking about snowshoeing so much and never even having done it yet! :rolleyes: Well, I *did* at least try my snowshoes on in the bedroom once! Coudln't walk around the house though or I'da ruin'd the oak floors! :rolleyes:
We do our taxes pretty early, usually Feb. DH is a very efficient man, which suits me just fine.
Hi, Lisa!
Boy oh boy do I have some sore muscles!! Traps, rhomboids, lats, intercostals, abs, anterior deltoids, calves and to a small degree my pecs are all very very sore. Sneezing is a serious wake up call! :eek: Not sure if I'm a complete idiot or not, but I was so sore last night that I decided the best cure was to use all of the same muscles again, so I used the fancy winch and pulley system that DH built, and played with my own heavy bag for awhile. It was great to put some combinations together. <smile> This morning I'm still wicked sore, but it is so much nicer than being so fatigued that I only want to lay around....:)
If the soreness has dissipated adequately by Monday, which is what I anticipate, I'll head back to the gym again. I talked quite frankly with the owner about my recent diagnosis with Crohn's and how the fatigue is such a huge factor and I really don't know what I can tolerate. He's agreed that I can come as often as I like through January and at the beginning of February we'll figure out how much I should pay. I think I can do 2 nights a week at best, and his price is for 5 nights a week.....so hopefully there is a discount in there. :rolleyes:
Now your snowshoeing story is completely and totally cool! A mentor so close and trails so close, I sooo hope you get snow darned soon!! That teaser snow you had was just a hint of things to come. Yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Seriously, I'd love to send a little of ours your way....it's too cold to enjoy it today, but it is snowing yet again. Teeny weenie snow flakes....the kind that if there's a wind just feel like ice pellets whacking you in the face. And, of course, no sunshine, so not the kind of day that makes me want to head outside.
That's actually all very good. I have a completely disorganized room full of papers we have to go through just to find all the stuff we'll need for doing taxes and such. It's not like we can get the taxes done until at least March because employers don't have to send out their paperwork until the end of February, but this part takes so long and is so awful, the sooner we start the better!
You'd never guess that people I work with have this illusion that I'm organized!! hahahahaa
Let me know when you've finally gone out on those snowshoes! It's going to be soooo cool!
Hugs and butterflies,
~T~
Those all sound like tropical fish to me. :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by LBTC
Sounds kinda kinky. ;) ;) ;)Quote:
I used the fancy winch and pulley system that DH built, and played with my own heavy bag for awhile.
Seriously though, the first time I walked my 3 miles again a couple of weeks ago, after months of only biking, I had sore muscles in places I didn't expect- the INNER SIDES of my thighs mostly, my shoulders, and my stomach area...who'dda thunk?? I went right out again the next day and the soreness wasn't so bad after that. I'm sure YOUR soreness is way more than mine though, kickboxing being WAY more strenuous than brisk walking!! ( i'm probably older than you, and I doubt my hips would cooperate). I admire you for taking it on- kickboxing must be some big workout.
With only going 2 nights a week I would THINK you'd get at least half price- if he doesn't offer that I would suggest it if I were you.
Well it's forty today and raining all day, so the little snow that was left is gone again. Too wet for biking, so I walked my 3mile walk again this morning in the rain...Quote:
I sooo hope you get snow darned soon!! That teaser snow you had was just a hint of things to come. Yeah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Getting a lot of things done today however- some actual "work" work, cleaned the tub and bathroom thoroughly (guests coming next weekend, and I rarely do such a thorough job on the tub, so that feels good), preparing a huge merchandise order to ship, changing sheets on the beds in the house, laundry...all stuff that feels good to get done and over with.
I just have to be patient with the snowshoeing- a decent snow is inevitable here at least ONCE this winter, fer cryin' out loud!
Did you get gaitors for snowshoeing? What kind did you get? I got some way cool Goretex ones. Tempted to wear them just for walking through my sleeting rain walks, but still too warm out. :mad:
hahahah Lisa you're funny! I'll take a picture of the heavy bag setup so you can see what I mean......it's not actually kinky, but funny to thing of it that way!
I had gaitors already I used to wear them through the snow on the walks to work in our old hometown...Mine are low end, not fancy, and I'm pretty sure they're not gore-tex. I think they cost $18 from MEC. DH got a pair from FarWest that are Goretex and were more like $50 on sale. Your gaitors will be great in the snow! I've never tried them in rain...Goretex is breathable, so it might not be as hot as you think.....might get you a look or two, but, do you care? heehee You have cool new stuff, you should try it out!Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.
Hugs,
~T~
I LOVE to snowshoe (I don't wear gaiters, but I do wear windpants). DH and I like to go out after work in the moonlight. We are lucky - we have direct access to hundreds of acres of conservation land that we can use. BUT this only works if we have snow! Right now, we have about 1/2" of ice with 1/2" of snow on top of that. Anyway...
We have this nice hill that leads down into the lower fields... I was inspired. I brought my dog for our walk, and brought the little roll-up sled with me. It's really just a sheet of thick plastic, but it works! So, at the top of the hill I set off! Poor Zaboo! :eek: He was VERY concerned - chasing after me at full speed, barking in alarm. Let me just say - with all that ice, I was VERY fast!
So, there we are... full speed down the hill... Zaboo barking frantically, and me screeching like a banshee. I finally came to a stop by digging in my heels... and look up to see my neighbor staring at me. :o Just as well I didn't know he was there... I'm still embarassed about my shrieking!
When do we get to snowshoe??? Zaboo actually likes that! :D
What a great story! Let your inner banshee scream, girl!! :D
I love the vision of you and your dog skidding and hollering and barking down the hill...
Yeah here in upstate NY we keep getting these lame 1" snow dustings and then it melts and repeats. Snowshoes still still sitting in the closet, all pristine and shining new...gaiters and poles hanging forlornly...
Hello snow fans!
Yes, DH and I got out and snowshoed again on Saturday. Same area, but new trail we hadn't been on before. With the fresh snow it was a lot harder work, which is great! I reminded us of the first mtb ride of the season, on a favourite climb where all you can think is, why is this so hard?? :D
Motion based links are below. You can actually view these on Google Earth. Pretty fun technology! My GPS obviously dropped out a lot, and for one really long section.....but it gives you the idea.
My GPS report:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/1933838
DH's GPS report:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/1934158
I hope you get snow very soon! Gotta get those shoes outside in their natural habitat!!
Hugs and butterflies,
~T~
I just got snowshoes for my birthday!! Been wanting them for years. I got Tubbs adventure 21 Womens' snowshoes. I am so looking forward to getting out and doing some decent hikes with them. They are my first Shoes. Do you use poles when you go shoeing? I have x-country ski poles that I could use. Do you think that'd be ok? Is there anything special I should know? Any techniques that work for uphills or downhills? I am really a novice at this and will appreciate any advice you pros can give. I'm kinda housebound for a couple of weeks, but as soon as I can get out, those shoes are going to be walking many miles! I can't wait!
Thanks for any advice!
Annie
Well, I'm certainly no expert, but I've really enjoyed our new snowshoes. We've been going to established trails and a nordic (x-country) centre, and they are really interesting trails with lots of twists and turns and ups and downs and through the trees like a mountain bike trail. I've been using mountain bike principals of weighting differently for climbing and descending, and it seems to be working pretty well. I've also found that at the one hour mark I start to run out of pep, so I need to bring food and more than just water. This weekend I put some electrolyte drops in some fruit juice and it seemed to work well.
My snowshoes kick a lot of snow up on my back and legs and butt, so I wear my cycling goretex jacket, a pair of newly purchased simple goretex pants (over tights) and goretex gaitors. Make sure your shoes or boots are really comfortable.
That's all I can think of for now. Have fun and let us know how it goes!
Hugs and butterflies,
~T~
Thanks, LBTC!! I'll let you know how my first venture goes.
Annie
Yesterday I took my new snowshoes for their 2nd hike of the winter. Not a lot of snow -mabe 4 inches. My upper leg muscles told me when I'd been out long enough. My hour hike ended with a 2 hour tractor ride with my dh and rat terrier to feed the cows hay. After today snow I'm looking forward to shoeing in deeper snow.:cool: The cold and wind will keep the hikes short but that should agree with my muscles. I'm not a very coordinated person but fine shoeing very easy. I could use tips on how to go down steeper sections. Lisa I'm sorry your still waiting on snow. All that snow in NY and no one will share with you.:( I'm glad you presevere and don't let cold, wind, and ice keep you from riding bike or walking. You"ll do great when you finally get to use your Tubbs.
cosc, try to put your weight on your heals as you descend, and keep your knees bent to catch yourself easily if you start to lose your balance.Quote:
Originally Posted by cosc
annie, we don't use poles, but I can see they would ensure that your upper body would stay involved.
Good luck to both of you!
Hugs and butterflies,
~T~
I'm jealous - haven't been out snowshoeing yet this year. Sounds like you all are having fun. A few tips: on uphills, keep you foot flat on the snowshoe so that the crampons fully engage (this builds a flexible achilles) and provide good traction. On well-packed trails, the toe crampon may be enough, but on loose snow you really need the whole shoe to get good grip. For steep uphills on loose snow, you can sort of kick in to the snow and create a flat platform for your shoe like making stairsteps. For downhills, keep weight on your heels and shift your weight back and forth from one foot to the other so the tips of your snowshoes don't get buried. It can be a rather fun ski/slide/run downhill.
OH MY GOD!!! :D Here's tomorrow's forecast!!!:
WEDNESDAY: Snow....heavy at times...may briefly mix with sleet south and east of Albany...Accumulations by Wednesday night 10"-16"....Highs 20-25.
OK so I will be READY!!!! :D :D :D Just went to the supermarket yesterday so we are all stocked up. Got my warm baselayers, my Tubbs crampon snowshoes, my Ibex wool tights, Burley waterproof pants, poles, and gortex gaiters!!! Woo-HOOOOOO!! Can't WAIT!!!! :p :p :p :p
Wahoo!! Go, Lisa, Go!
~T~
Yippee!!!
I have TONS of comp time right now, so I'm taking tomorrow off to celebrate the big snow (I just hope we get it)!
With any luck, me and Zaboo (my faithful dog) will be FINALLY going out to do the first snowshoeing of the winter!
I'll be thinking of you, Lisa!
:D :D :D
The snow is supposed to start late tonight, with 8-10" by morning, another load of snow falling all day tomorrow too...for a total predicted snow accumulation of 18-30" by wednesday night!!!
It's the cold that worries me a bit- a high only in the teens for the next few days straight, with windchill making it single digits. I may have to make several shorter walks if I have trouble keeping warm. I will really layer up GOOD, believe me. I won't venture far from civilization though, so don't worry. My first outing might even be down into town for latte and eggs tomorrow morning, after which I might continue looping around the village perimeters before heading home.
I will practice this evening getting "clipped in and out" so to speak so hopefully I will be able to do it without fumbling too much in the cold and with gloves on.
It'll be my very FIRST time snowshoeing, and I'm so excited! :D :D :D
I'll be thinking of YOU guys too!!! :p :p :p
Yesterday they predicted a good amount of snow here in NE for today and tonight so I went and bought myself a pair of Tubbs snowshoes! :D Great time to buy them, they were on sale at EMS.
Its snowing right now so I'm hoping that it stays snow and doesn't turn to rain. I'm planning my first snowshoe stomp for Saturday! Can't wait.
FINALLY!!!!!!!! :p :p :p
Got everything strapped on and bundled up and went all around the village boundaries for an hour and a half (about 2 1/2 miles). I kept pretty warm and dry except for my face- it was nasty sleeting/snowing right into my face most of the time and it was only 8 degreesF (with wind chill it must have been about 0). But I had all the right layers on and stayed snug. Lots of wool base layers and topped off by waterproof biking pants, windbreaker, balaclava, ski gloves,Attachment 2644 and gaiters. :p Would have stayed out longer but wanted to do a lot more tomorrow so I took it easy this first day.
My Tubbs "Odyssey" women's shoes worked very nicely- it was EASY!!! I only stepped on my other shoe once when I was turning to look behind me while walking (quickly learned to stop to look back), but i didn't fall. I didn't have the dreaded "snow flip" effect at all. Our village was pretty deserted with the falling snow and only plows were out, waving at me. I did see one male friend I know XC skiing along the same street I was shoeing. Another lady was walking her dog in the snow and using hiking poles. :D
I got up and down our steep hill very easily with my crampons, and soon i just stowed my poles in my backpack as I found I didn't need them much.
I was surprised to see that one doesn't stay on TOP of the snow completely in snowshoes- you do sink a few inches down, but that's normal, right? On some snow I sank up to 6", in other snow I only sank 2" or so. Is 6" normal too?
Holy cow but I had FUN. :p :p :p Tomorrow should have a few more fresh inches of snow and I'll be going out again for sure, want to go at least 3 miles tomorrow and maybe shoe the woodland conservancy trail near my house too.
6" is normal. Depends on the snow density and depth. Tomorrow try walking on the trail you made today. You'll hardly sink at all on an already-compacted trail, making it far less work. Kind of like cycling a paceline.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.
Lisa! I'm so glad you finally got out there on the snowshoes and had some fun in the snow!! Those are pretty crazy temps though - we haven't been out in anything nearly that cold! You go, girl!
We don't sink much on the established trails we've been SSing on, except when there's some fresh snow on top...I"ve stepped off the trail once or twice and get knee deep in a second. I have no idea how deep the snow really is, but I bet it's several feet compacted below, and the trails have gotten lower than the sides every time we've been there...
Let us know how the woodlands are! And enjoy!!
Hugs and happy butterflies,
~T~
T, if you only knew what a "winter wimp" I used to be!! :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by LBTC
Well, now I have wisened up to proper types of cold weather layering, and it has made all the difference in the world. I used to freeze and shiver even though I was weighted down by huge heavy (cotton/acryllic) sweaters, cotton leggings under jeans, knitted mittens and bulky scarfs....all kinds of bulky heavy worthless stuff that didn't even keep me warm! :o
Since biking and reading up and listening to the wisdom of TE ladies, I have smartened up and switched to slim but warm layers of Underarmour, merino base layers top and bottom, glove liners, balaclavas, and waterproof/windproof biking layers, etc...all very lightweight and breathable but incredibly warm and cozy. So, it wasn't that I was "brave" or anything- I really wasn't even cold! -only my face, which was uncovered except for my balaclava-covered chin and forehead. Tomorrow should be easier because i doubt there will be that nasty sleet-snow blowing down like we had today.
Wish we could all snowshoe together with a snap of the fingers! :)
I got out for about 45 minutes of snowshoeing this morning. The snow crusted up overnight (must have rained), so I took out my wooden bearpaws (the newer MSRs are very noisy on crust). And just for Kit, a photo of the crampon on the bottom of one shoe. Actually, there is 1/2 a crampon on each shoe, attached with parachute cord (varnish the cord when you varnish the shoe and it will never come loose).
Went out this morning to try to pack down a path so my dog could get somewhere to go to the bathroom. (The snow is currently deeper than she is tall and she's not happy about it.) Even with the snowshoes on my feet I was still sinking in up to my knees! (I sure was glad I had them on, I can't imagine walking through all the snow without them right now.)
I can't even imagine all the snow you NE'ers have!! We have just a nice amount here in IA. And we keep getting little bits at a time to keep it nice. I admire you all for going on about life as well as possible! And for getting out there and having FUN in the snow.
I tried out my new snowshoes this morning before work! Whoo-woo! They're great. Very easy on/off strap system. It was cold, about 7 F. Not sure what the windchill was, but not too windy and the sun was shining. Due to recent surgery, I'm not really supposed to out doing strenuous exercise, so I walked slowly and just took in the beauty of the day. I NEEDED to get outside. My body needs to take it easy but my spirit needs the outdoors! This was a good balance. :)
Annie
Yay! So glad that some of us are getting our snowshoeing in now!!
I estimate we got around 16-18" snow here- nothing really when compared to the "other" upstate NY around the Great Lakes!
I went out again today, this time snowshoeing the woodland trail that is near my house. It goes all through the woods with slight hills and ends overlooking a little pond with a bench to rest on. Very nice! The whole trail is only about 1 3/4 miles round trip, but it was a pretty good workout with the deep snow and rolling terrain through the woods. I still find I don't seem to need my poles. It was the perfect quick hike, and I love that I only have to walk 2 blocks to where the trail starts- so no car use at all! :)
I will drive to other locations eventually to shoe when I want to go longer distance or want a change of pace.
Today was much nicer sunny cold 20degreeF weather, not freezing sleetsnow like yesterday.
When I finished the round trip trail, I created a seat for myself in a huge snowbank and took off my snowshoes and stowed them in my backpack, then I pulled on some Yak-Trax type crampons over my boots and hiked the 1/2 slushy mile to the village and had a yummy grilled cheese, then hiked home again. :) :)
Now back to work...
Happy shoeing, everyone!!
Annie, I thought of you with YOUR new Tubbs shoes, too!
A good girlfriend of mine phoned this morning to see if i wanted to go snowshoeing....:D :D Lucky lucky me!! So we drove to a nature preserve near here and we shoed for about an hour and a half across very deep snow and hilly windy fields with beautiful views of surrounding hills and farms and a huge pond. The snow blew across the surface of the fields like sand dunes as we walked. On the way back, our trail of 6" deep tracks was almost invisible already!
It was wonderful! A nice workout because we sank 4 to 6" with every step and the wind actually knocked us over a couple of times! :eek: :p It was about 20 degreesF but wind chill must have made it like 5 or so. COLD. We had FUN. I kept nice and warm with my just-right layering. Didn't need my poles at all. We then stopped into town for some great smoked mozzarella grillled cheese sandwiches and soup to warm up before going home. What a nice morning! (tomorrow I have to buckle down to some jobs piling up on my desk though :o )
I got out shoeing again today! A gorgeous day! High of about 22, but very little wind (unlike your day, Lisa.) No getting blown over for me. :D You go, girl!!
I did a nice uphill hike, and then got to turn around and go downhill for the return trip. I was by myself. Nice sometimes, to have peace and quiet for thoughts.
Was so glad I was able to play in the snow today. Our predicted high is 40 tomorrow! Yikes! Can you just imagine what that will do to our snow? It won't melt it all, but it'll get all hard and crusty. It was soft and powdery today. Got to enjoy it while we can.
Annie
Good for you, Annie! Keep shoeing.
I went snowshoeing again today for 2 hours. I stayed quite warm and dry despite it being about 10 degreesF out. Good gear is everything!
I followed some trails through the nature conservancy woods leading to a frozen pond. Got to watch a beautiful pileated woodpecker hammering away on a tree only a few yards away. He didn't seem bothered by my presence at all. There were several other sets of snowshoe tracks through the woods besides mine. :)
Oh, one thing I noticed about the snow- our big snowfall (18") happened a few days ago. Today I noticed that in areas where the sun hit (fields), there is a hard crust now on the snow surface that you have to crunch in your shoes. But when shoeing through the woods today, there was no crust- all the snow was still light and fluffy (except on the packed down trails of course). So just because there may be an ice crust on the snow when you go out in your yard to look at it, it might still be some wonderful fluffy snow if you try some trails through the woods. I guess even the bare branches manage to keep the sun from making crusts.
Lisa and Annie, those both sound like magical experiences! yay!
One of our recent snowshoeing ventures this month we went on a trail we hadn't seen before and the snow was deep and fresh beside the well tramped trail. Someone ahead of us had paused several times on the way and written words in the snow: like peace, joy, jubilation, magic, sacred sanctuary, etc. It was very cool - it added to the magic of the moment for me.
Hugs and butterflies,
~T~
LBTC, Lisa,
So glad to hear you had wonderful shoeing, also. I'll have to shoe vicariously through you now. Our temps hit 46 F. today. :( Snow was melting and soaking into the ground. It's not gone yet, but our predicted temps are above freezing all week. Plus a day or two of rain. So much for the snow. It's possible we'd get enough for another round, but unlikely. So enjoy it while you can, I say. And look forward to biking season soon! Yay! It's all good.
Annie
We will shoe for you Annie!! :)
And yeah, won't it be great when biking season starts again? :p :p
You'll be biking long before we get to, I bet!
We got more snow!! Slushy, sloppy wet snow, but snow, nonetheless! So I was out with the snowshoes again today. Let me tell you, shoeing through wet, heavy snow is one he## of a workout!! I am beat. :D I loved it. How's your snow, ladies?
Annie
snow in town here is disappearing rapidly, which I love as I wait to see what bulbs are poking out of the ground! :) I'm sure the trails we go to still have good snow, but we didn't go this weekend or last for several reasons, or are those excuses? :confused:
Keep enjoying while you have it!
Hugs and butterflies,
~T~
The snow from 10 days ago is getting pretty lame- the woodland trails are so packed down. We visited frineds an hour away this weekend and I brought my shoes and they have some too, but their snow situation was worse than ours was, so none of us went shoeing.
But there is maybe an inch or two in the forecast over the next few days here, and if we get a new fresh surface I'll go out again. :) The forcast is odd for this week, and it actually could go either way between shoeing and biking! :eek: :rolleyes: I'll be watching the weather.
I guess I've been shoeing about 4 times total, all on just that one big snowfall we've had so far this winter, 10 days ago or so. It would be freaky if that's all the snow we get this winter!!
We're expecting 18-24" of snow in Maine tonight and Friday!!! I'm on vacation next week and will be in Maine the whole time. Its also a full moon this weekend. I'm going to try for a moonlight snowshoe. Can't wait!!!!
Think snow....
Pap, you lucky girl!!
We are supposed to get 3-5" of mixed snow and freezing rain with sleet tonight and tomorrow. :( Doesn't sound too nice, but perhaps it will all be snow instead and we'll get lucky. Weathermen are not always right.
Tell us about your snowshoeing afterwards!
I went shoeing at a park a couple days ago and so enjoyed a calm peaceful outdoors. Temps was 29 with no wind. Next time I'll bring my dog, since I saw nary a person (or another dog). Usually when I go hike the park there is lots of people and dogs for my rat terrier to visit so I always keep her on a leesh.
Winter weather does have some advantages. We have a blizzard today. No more nice snow to shoe in -just high winds to blow what we already have on the ground. If it has to be cold, I hope all the snowshoers receive some nice amounts of snow.