Friday, January 4, 2008

Soft Shoe


We have had the most beautiful, frigid weather the past few days. The sun has been bright, the wind brisk, the temperatures not reaching 20 degrees. With the wind chill, it's been colder. Still, I like to get us out every day, no matter the weather, whenever possible.

We've had four pairs of snowshoes in the attic for about five years. I shattered my ankle five years ago and decided we should go snowshoeing once the cast came off and the snow fell. I was completely clueless about rehabilitation time, having never broken anything before. I still have a good deal of pain and several times a day have to work my stride to eliminate a limp.

So, the snowshoes went into the attic and were forgotten. A month or so ago I ventured up the stairs to pull down some hand me downs for the Little Man. The attic is an adventure because it's normally off limits, huge sections of the floor are missing, it's not heated or cooled and it's a complete mess of stuff. We also store the pigs' and rabbits' hay on the stairs, making the area a sneeze fest for some of us. Everyone struggled up the stairs with me for a look and to help carry down the boxes. The kids discovered the snowshoes and were excited beyond belief.

New Year's Eve and Day brought about four inches of new snow, not quite enough for snowshoeing, but we decided to try it. There are five of us and only four pairs, so we headed to REI to get another pair. Who knew there were so many options in snowshoes and that they could be so expensive? We rented a pair for $15 for three days and tried them out. The rented pair is much better than the cheapo ones I bought so long ago.

It was just beautiful out in Bemis Woods. The little guy tried his best to keep up, but I ended up carrying him on my shoulders for most of the time. We went in the heat of the day, when the mercury probably did reach 20, and the late afternoon sunlight magically lit up the trees and Salt Creek. All the crankiness of the day disappeared as the kids discovered their ability to walk on top of the snow, followed tracks left by deer and rabbits, threw snow into the creek and generally had a good time.
By the time an hour had passed, the Little Man's boots had snow in them, his socks were soaked and his feet were raw with cold. Ever since he fell through the ice, he has had really cold hands and feet. I wrapped him in fleece and we headed home.

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