One of my New Year’s resolutions is to try new activities, so once a month I get out and do something new, or at least an activity I haven’t done since I was a child. With all the snow and colder temperatures, I am definitely in winter mode.
After 15 minutes of packing on layers of long-sleeve shirts, sweaters, long johns, and both scarves under my jacket and over my jacket, I’m finally ready to get out the door into the white haze of a Manitoba winter.
I have wanted to try snowshoeing, go downhill skiing (it’s been over seven years), skate the River Trail at the Forks, and build a snow fort. Hopefully I will be able to do all these activities before the snow is gone!
It all begins with snowshoeing. When I mentioned to my best friend, Mackenzie, that I was going to write an article on snowshoeing, she was already on board before I asked if she wanted to join in on my adventure. Off we went to my parents’ cabin in Whiteshell Provincial Park, snowshoes in hand.
Snowshoes are made for you to basically float on top of the snow. The wideness of snowshoe is meant to distribute your weight across the surface. Snowshoes helped hunters move faster and quickly over deep snow, to find new sources of food and make transportation easier in the fur trade businesses.
Making snowshoes was perfected by the indigenous peoples, and they were mostly carved out of birch or hard ash trees, then covered with stretched animal skin and rawhide. In today’s world, we have snowshoes made out of lightweight aluminum frames with steel cleats, but I’m sure you can find the large wooden snowshoes, too.
Back to my adventure. Mackenzie and I bundled up with layers upon layers of clothing, as we happened to go snowshoeing on two of the coldest days of winter. It was around –28 degrees, plus the wind chill, which was probably around –38 in the open areas.
We got outside and struggled to reach our feet to strap on the snowshoes from the layers of clothing, so we helped each other out by strapping each other’s feet into the shoes. Then off we went.
We went down to the beautiful, snow-covered lake and started our trek. At first it was weird to walk with the wide snowshoes, but we quickly adapted and cruised along the shoreline. It was so easy to walk on the snow, and soon enough we had been out there for 40 minutes. We came close to open water on the lake, then quickly turned around and headed back to shore. For those going out onto lakes for recreational activities, be aware of open water!
If you’re looking for an easy outdoor recreational activity for the whole family, snowshoeing may be for you. It is tons of fun, easy, can make walking on snow that much easier, and affordable. I had a blast snowshoeing, and I will be doing it again any chance I get.
I hope everyone gets out and enjoys Manitoba’s lovely winter months.
