Say hello to my little friends!
Well, okay; they're not THAT little.
But they are my new friends. Those of you who've been reading these
forever know that one of the few ways I stay sane during winter is by
cross-country skiing. Unfortunately, when I decided to go car-free a
few years ago I gave up ready access to my favorite ski trails out at
Blueberry Ridge, and skiing at the Fit Strip (just a few block walk
away) can be hit & miss, depending upon everything from the depth
of the snow to how many people have walked their dogs and left dog
poop on the tracks.
Because of that, I've kind of kept an
eye on a winter alternative, and decided to use a birthday gift from
daily blog readers Chick & Darlene (hi, mom & dad!) to check
out snowshoes. And I have to say this about that--
I'm glad I did.
I haven't been snowshoeing since I was
a kid, so I really didn't know what to expect, but after taking them
out Sunday morning after the big storm I was pleasantly surprised. I
traipsed around the 10 inches of new powder at Lower Harbor Park for
an hour and built up a nice sweat, and despite my fears I wasn't sore
the next day. I think the physical motion of snowshoeing is similar
to running, and since I do a lot of that my body didn't seem to mind.
It also provided the zen-like feeling I get from skiing, especially
with Lake Superior right off my shoulder
So I think it worked.
It's actually nice to have an
alternative to cross-country skiing during the winter. That way,
when the trail hasn't been groomed or a melt has rendered said trail
a little unsafe, I now have an alternative. I think my body will
like it. I certainly know my sanity will!
****
Speaking of people who've been reading
this forever, I was shocked and saddened to hear that daily blog
reader Cyndy of Au Train (Cyndy Brown, to those who knew her) passed
away unexpectedly over the weekend. Cyndy seemed to be the first
person who read these after I posted them, at least based on the
notes I'd sometimes get from her, and was awfully nice in sharing
lilac photos with me each and every spring. So to her family,
especially her son Lee, you have my deepest sympathy and sorrow at
your loss.
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