Thursday, February 27, 2025

Memories of Snowshoeing

 After cross-country skiing, snowshoeing was my favourite winter activity when we lived in the valley.  It's such a neat way to walk in deeper snow.  If nothing else it keeps the snow away from the top of your boots.  It also leaves a really neat track behind you.

On this occasion I was using my traditional 40-year old 'Huron' snowshoes, large and wide with a tail at the back.  I bought these on our way to a trip in Algonquin Park, where we snowshoed in loose fluffy snow 4 feet deep!  We still sank in a foot even with these.  As you can see, the harness has been replaced, at least twice I think.

It was a glorious day in the woods, probably not deep enough to really require these large snowshoes, but deep enough to have fun using them.

It was a couple of days since a nice snowfall, so there was at least 6-8 inches of fresh powder.

It makes fascinating patterns clinging to the branches.

And it was definitely clinging to those branches!

I always wore mukluks to use snowshoes, particularly these older ones made with real gut rather than plastic!  The hard edges of heavier boots can damage the webbing.












16 comments:

  1. I have used snowshoes like that, but the ones we bought weren't that type. I loved it when I could do it. Aren't we a pair?

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  2. This is very alien to me here in Georgia! I would love to try walking in a pair of snowshoes. They dp leave interesting tracks.

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  3. I used to want to try this, but never had the chance. Now I am sure I would tip right over, just tripping myself on them!
    Your photos are just beautiful.

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  4. I'd like to do this. I tried it once but fell and couldn't get up. :) I need a good pair of snow shoes to try again.

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  5. I liked snow shoeing. I had a pair of snow shoes just like yours. You get used to snow shoeing and would snow shoe in vey shallow snow.

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  6. Looks like snowshoeing could be fun but with my propensity for falling maybe not.

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  7. My mom's snowshoes look exactly like your snowshoes, crafted with wood and leather, years ago. Hers were made by a neighbor boy in Woolley, WA ... a boy who made them for most of the people in the town back then. That was in the mid 1920s. I have my mom's snowshoes and they are still perfect, and so solid! Thanks Furry. :-)

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  8. That snow pattern in the fourth photo is unique. Great capture! Love snowshoeing though we haven’t been this year!

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  9. I always have to turn and look back at the precise trail I have created. Just something about those pretty, webbed prints in the snow... Third and fourth picture down, I'd call that a snow Boa!

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  10. Ah yes, snowshoes! We haven't had more than 2 1/2 - 3 inches of snow on the ground all winter, so the snowshoes remain hanging in the basement.

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  11. My brothers used a oval snowshoe to check their trap lines in the Winter. I was never brave enough to try them:)

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  12. you are killing me with all of these gorgeous snow images. i have never been snowshoeing, never, ever thought about it. maybe it is more popular in canada?!

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  13. The tail pictures are so beautiful.

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