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Snowshoeing - Fun and Fitness Outdoors
By
Mike C Joseph
I took up snowshoeing a couple of years ago after we decided that skiing
was too crowded and too expensive. We love camping and hiking in the
summer months and now needed an alternative activity that would get us
outdoors in the winter months and provide some exercise. Given that we
are blessed to live in the Rocky Mountains, snowshoeing seemed a natural
outdoor activity.
We did some research on the subject and found that snowshoeing was
becoming quite popular. But unlike skiing, the abundance of trails make
for a much less crowded environment and it is easy to match a trail to
any skill level. You can pick an easy trail for a family outing or a
challenging trail to test your endurance or anything in between. You can
even opt for a multi-day guided or un-guided tour with some amazing
amenities available.
The other great discovery from our research was that we already had most
of the equipment that we needed, good hiking boots, warm cloths, poles
from our hiking gear and a well stocked backpack. What we didn't have
were the snowshoes but a quick trip to our local sports shop revealed
that we could rent adult snowshoes and poles for around $8 a day and
kids for about half that price. Now all we had to do was gear up and go
snowshoeing somewhere to see if we liked it and our new outdoor activity
for the winter was solved!
We had never been on snowshoes before and we didn't want our first
experience to be a bad one due to lack of knowledge or experience, so we
opted for a half day guided tour/lesson with an expert. We looked around
and found that you can get a private lesson for 2 people for about $150.
If you have a larger group (6 or more) it is usually cheaper, around $35
a person. The $150 included everything we needed for the two of us,
guide, snowshoes, poles, lunch and drinks, overboots and a backpack. In
my opinion, a very reasonable price for a half day activity. We also
opted to snowshoe a trail that we hiked during the summer so that we had
some familiarity with the environment.
We started out early Saturday morning on a day that could not have been
any better, fresh snow the night before, sunny and in the high 30s.
Getting the gear on is pretty simple so we were off snowshoeing in no
time.
First site that greeted us as we started down the trail!
As I mentioned earlier, we opted to snowshoe a trail that we knew, and
had hiked during the summer. We quickly came to realize that a winter
trail with a foot of snow on it looks nothing like the trail we hiked
during the summer. The summer trail passed by four lakes that were
gorgeous but were now frozen over and snow covered, which surprisingly,
were equally as gorgeous with the back drop of snow covered trees. The
great advantage here was that we could just walk across the lake rather
than around it, gave me a a little power rush (try doing that in the
summer!).
We made our way along the winter trail, sometimes on a lake, sometimes
on the summer trail. We passed snow formations that were awesome and
snowshoed through some deep snow in uphill areas that were a minor
challenge in the summer and now a more significant challenge in the
winter. In some places we were the first ones to snowshoe through the
newly fallen snow of the night before. A feeling that is incredibly
invigorating and at the same time a little eerie.
We made the same types of adjustments in clothing that we would normally
make on a summer hike, on and off with layers depending on shade or sun
and physical exertion. I was surprised to find that I was never cold. I
was sure that walking through snow, regardless of boots, socks and
snowshoes, that I would have issues with my feet getting cold but it
never happened (I have since lightened my pack and left 3 of the 4 pairs
of extra socks at home). Food consumption was about the same as a summer
hike of comparable length and water consumption was a little more. I
have to tell you that taking a little hot soup with you is something you
will never regret, best tasting soup I ever had!
We ended up snowshoeing long past our half day outing, exploring areas
that our guide knew were not well used. We explored fire trails that
were untouched before our arrival, learned how to slide down hills the
proper way (without breaking anything), but most of all we learned to
appreciate the environment we were in and have fun.
That day started a love affair for us with snowshoeing. We have since
bought our own snowshoes as it allows us to take off on a moment's
notice when the snow hits. Also, the cost for snowshoes is very
reasonable. If you opt for a middle of the line pair you will be around
$150. We were quite pleased with the shoes we got in that price range.
If you are looking for a really unique experience that almost anyone can
do, and get a great workout in the bargain, I would highly recommend
giving snowshoeing a try (and don't forget to pack the camera!).
About the Author:
Mike Joseph is a writer living in the Rocky Mountains. His passions are
health, fitness and outdoor activities. Mike maintains a blog at
http://www.blog-a-potamus.com that deals with all aspects of fitness and
health.
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