Yesterday we had our second storm in a couple weeks here in Maine, adding a foot or more with each snowfall. It’s deep enough for the snowshoes! I suppose a few inches would be deep enough, but it seems more fun when it’s actually useful–something you really wouldn’t want to go through with just a pair of boots.
Yikes! What a workout. It’s been frigid up here lately so both of these storms put 2 to 2 1/2 feet of extremely light powder on the ground. I’ve never seen trail so hard to break. My snowshoes were sinking in 12-16 inches. And, occasionally, they were breaking through earlier snowfall, sinking down another 4 inches. Believe me, that can get downright awkward and tiresome very quickly. Of course, the way back was a breeze. And a good section of trail has been broken. I made a couple of offshoot trails, and now those are perfect for snowshoeing. Up here in Maine, it’s not too expensive to get a good sized lot. We’ve got 5 acres of mostly forest, so we can make some fairly lengthy trails.
I’ve been using one of those Bowflex Treadclimbers for years, and that made for good preparation. (I love these things because you get twice the workout as a treadmill, so you’re only on them half the time.) But, anyone who uses a bowflex treadclimber regularly knows you can get a real workout with them.
Anyway, I didn’t break more than a mile of trail, but I got quite a workout. There’s nothing like the wilderness to keep you in shape. The great thing about using snowshoes, though, is it’s not very difficult to find your way back. In fact, if you go far enough, you’re certainly not going to want to cut new trail all the way back, too! The quiet, the snow-covered spruce boughs, and just getting outside in the fresh air is priceless in January. And, that’s my workout for the day!
