Snowshoeing

[roadie gal]

Moose are scary critters! I'm glad you're OK.

We got about 3 new feet of snow at this altitude (LOTS more higher up). In order to walk the dogs this morning I had to put on my BIG snowshoes - the ones I used to wear when I weighed 20 pounds more and carried a heavy pack - in order to just walk the dogs in the morning. Of course, those smart dogs made ME break trail. Even with the big shoes I was sinking to my knees. We were only out for an hour. I'm exhausted now!

[Alex]

Now that I've completed all my internet research about moose attacks (shouldn't have done THAT right before bed ), I thought I should report on the rest of Sunday's snowshoe adventure. I LOVE my new Redfeather Strider snowshoes. They are perfect and light and a very pretty blue. Previously, I rented the Denali Ascents and I really needed to widen my stance with those. With the Striders, I can walk almost normally.

At certain points, it was snowing and blowing so hard that our tracks disappeared almost as soon as we made them. Amazing!

Alex

[Alex]

Robyn,

If I thought there was a bear, I'd have set a new land speed record!


Lisa,

Glad you had a great ride!


Roadie Gal,

If we didn't shovel pathways in the backyard for our dogs, they would need snowshoes, too!


Alex

[Jolt]

We got another decent snowstorm last night/this morning (probably about 8 or 10 inches here; I didn't measure so that's a guesstimate) so I decided to snowshoe this afternoon at the same place I did last time. I was surprised and rather disappointed to find already a well-broken trail (boy does this place get a lot of traffic!), but once I reached the brook crossing I noticed that the trail beyond it had not been broken. This is probably because said brook crossing was a little tricky given the recent thaw and resulting lack of thick ice--it was a matter of carefully stepping/jumping from rock to rock. Once I got across, the shoeing became more of a workout which is what I was looking for. I also felt like less of a klutz this time!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

We got another decent snowstorm last night/this morning (probably about 8 or 10 inches here; I didn't measure so that's a guesstimate) so I decided to snowshoe this afternoon at the same place I did last time. I was surprised and rather disappointed to find already a well-broken trail (boy does this place get a lot of traffic!), but once I reached the brook crossing I noticed that the trail beyond it had not been broken. This is probably because said brook crossing was a little tricky given the recent thaw and resulting lack of thick ice--it was a matter of carefully stepping/jumping from rock to rock. Once I got across, the shoeing became more of a workout which is what I was looking for. I also felt like less of a klutz this time!

Oooohh, you are lucky to get such a nice snow! 8'10" is great because it's enough to do some great snowshoeing for a few days, but not so much that you have to spend your day shoveling endlessly instead of enjoying the snow.

What kind of snowshoes do you have?

We only got about 4" the night before last- not enough to shoe. I even had a shoeing date set up with a girlfriend and with DH, too. I think Western Mass got lots more snow than we did, just to the east of us.

Got all these brand spanking new snowshoes just hanging here waiting....can't wait to go out with DH, and him shoeing for the first time too!

[Jolt]

Oooohh, you are lucky to get such a nice snow! 8'10" is great because it's enough to do some great snowshoeing for a few days, but not so much that you have to spend your day shoveling endlessly instead of enjoying the snow.

What kind of snowshoes do you have?

We only got about 4" the night before last- not enough to shoe. I even had a shoeing date set up with a girlfriend and with DH, too. I think Western Mass got lots more snow than we did, just to the east of us.

Got all these brand spanking new snowshoes just hanging here waiting....can't wait to go out with DH, and him shoeing for the first time too!

I have Yukon Charlie's snowshoes--nothing fancy. I have the women's 8X25 inch size; I could have gone with the smaller size but figured the bigger ones would be better on group hikes when we each take a turn breaking trail for everyone else!

[Lifesgreat]

AuntieK, a friend and I snowshoed at Sundance Resort today. There is FEET of snow on the ground with a packed trail winding through the woods. AK and friend are in much better shape than I am so they went awhile longer than I did. A storm passed through but it didn't really snow, the wind just BLEW! I had a great time. I would attach pictures, but I don't know how to reduce the picture file size. I need to put that on my "to do" list.

[Crankin]

Yesterday I went out on the trail that leads from my street to the local conservation land. It had been walked on, but not with snowshoes. So the snow was still deep and soft. However, I took a wrong turn and realized I was heading up a climb, so I turned onto what I thought was the trail, but somehow it was a loop and I ended up at the start. OK, I went back and figured out my mistake. It was really nice, but the last storm had knocked down several trees and there were branches bending over, touching the ground. I could see the trail markers, but it was hard to see the trail! Near the intersection of the neighborhood trail and the main one, it got very tight and I felt like I was bushwacking. However, I made it and went up to the town line in Acton, near Stoneymeade. I didn't walk all the way to the end of the trail there, but I ran around in the horse pasture, in the fresh, untouched snow. That was fun. On the way back, I didn't have any trouble finding my way, but I decided to climb up what is called the "ski slope" in my neighborhood. This is a trail that ends up in a vacant lot about two houses down the street from me. I thought I would avoid a longer walk up the street, carrying my snow shoes. Oye! The town maps say this is a 35% grade. I have climbed up it once before, in hiking shoes when it was kind of icy. Let's just say my upper body was almost parallel to the ground. I didn't have poles, which would have helped. But, I made it. I thought I felt OK until this morning when I went x country skiing. My muscles were not happy and I was really off the whole time. I fell down a hill that I always easily go down and then, on the way back, I went over a rough patch on the trail, when I knew I should have gone out of the tracks. My ski hit a rock and I fell on my knee. Now I'm sitting here with an ice pack and I am about to sit in a hot tub.
But it feels good to feel good enough to do this stuff...