Snowshoeing

We drove seven miles south from our house to the James T. Slavin Conservation Area to do some light snowshoeing.

Here’s a chart from Snowshoes.com showing the calorie-burning benefits of snowshoeing: 420-1046 per hour is awesome!

We decided to ease into the activity this year rather than going all-out and getting burned out early (we’re starting to feel our creaky joints). Our first day out was less than two hours and our second day out was under three hours. Great workout and very peaceful.

Strapping in

Trail into the forest

Men’s MSR Revo Explore 25-inch

Women’s MSR Revo Explore 22-inch

Leki Cristallo Trekking Poles with optional snow baskets. We’ll reinstall the regular baskets for ‘normal’ hiking

Outdoor Designs Alpine gaiters large size. I’ve been using these since 2003. My boots are Vasque Snowburban Ultradry

Mellissa’s boots are Vasque Pow Pow Ultradry and she’s also got Outdoor Designs Alpine gaiters sized medium

Waiting for me while I rest my knees

We broke this trail on the way in and decided to take advantage of it on the way out

This is the proper way to haul gear — just throw it in and go for hot coffee!

I tried walking without poles for a little while and it was OK on the packed snow; when we began breaking through the crust I needed the poles to keep my balance as my snowshoe tips occasionally caught on the up-step. They also helped on any uneven terrain. I wouldn’t go snowshoeing without poles.

Another lesson was to dress in easily removable layers. The temperature was around 30°F (-1°C) and within ten minutes of activity I was peeling off my snow jacket and down liner. Second day we went I wore a fleece and a windbreaker. The windbreaker came off quickly.