Sunday, January 17, 2010

Snowshoeing

Yesterday I went snowshoeing for the first time. We did an easy 4.5 km route, the Penstock Trail in Peter Lougheed Park, Kananaskis. The tall pines and the snow and the glimpses of mountain peak made the forest path a glittery fairy trail. And then we stepped from the trees into an open area and all went "Ah..." as the entire mountain came into view.

My idea of shoeshoeing from childhood was of giant wooden shoes atop atop deep untouched drifts of snow. The reality was compact aluminum-frame shoes on well-trodden trails. Walking in them was almost the same as walking in boots, so I didn't have to learn any new technique like I would for skiing.

Any new outdoor pursuit makes me apprehensive, as I am naturally wimpy (as I had to endure too many forced excursions in my junior high Outdoor Ed days). Now that I'm an adult now, and it's my choice, it's nice to finally enjoy working up a sweat. Actually I didn't find it very taxing; my quad muscles must be built up from trekking up Cemetery Hill every day to work.

It was a bright warm day, and the snow was all white and shiny. I guess I got my vitamin D.