The Gift That Keeps Giving

I purchased my first snowshoes in 2005.  My employer at that time, treated her staff annually to activities and an afternoon off.  That year it was a day at a spa.  I politely told her thanks but no thanks.  

I'm not a spa kind of person.  I could not picture myself spending an entire afternoon in a spa.  Manicure?  Pedicure?  Massage?  Not this girl.  That's not my idea of relaxation.  In lieu of the spa afternoon, I received a mall gift certificate.  As the other staff headed to the spa, I headed to the sporting goods store.

We met at a restaurant later that afternoon.  The ladies spoke of how great their experiences were and how relaxed they felt.  They asked about what I did that afternoon and I pulled out my new snowshoes.  I wish I could have recorded their facial expressions at that moment.

 Since that day, I have spent countless hours relaxing with those snowshoes in the great outdoors.  It was the gift that kept on giving.  I believe I came out with the better deal.  

I've taken those shoes out so often that the bindings were beginning to fray.  It was for this reason that I purchased another pair before Christmas.

Well, they went back to the store today.  The plastic plate under the bindings had numerous cracks.  They were used for only two months.

I opted to purchase the snowshoes that Costco was offering for sale.  It was a package deal that included snowshoes, poles and a carrying bag.

I took them out for a two hour tour this afternoon.  They were so easy to put on and take off!  They have the best bindings that I have found thus far.  No slipping.  No loosening.  My boots remained snugly in place the whole time.

The aluminum frames are light and easy to maneuver between the trees.  They were great on the hard packed trail and also in the deep fluffy snow.

The deck and straps remained pliable.  They did not ice up or stiffen up in the cold.

The on-line reviews were not great but who cares.  These snowshoes were half the cost of the ones that I returned and they have a lifetime warranty.  If they give out on me, I turn them in for another pair.  Best deal yet.

As I walked the trail today, I remembered the fun I had in Mother Nature's art gallery so I decided to re-visit the exhibits today.  There were some new displays.

 

A polar bear up a tree?

 


A branch munching snow serpent?




Snowshoeing has provided me many hours of relaxation.  If you can walk, you can snowshoe.  They are reasonably priced and you don't need to travel any great distance to try them out.  A ditch, a park or a schoolyard are all places that you can strap on the snowshoes and enjoy.

You can snowshoe with a friend.  You can snowshoe alone.  Today, it was me in the sunshine with a moose, some chickadees, a woodpecker and the fungi.  What a great day.  That gift is still giving.