The Great Snowshoe Adventure

More than a year ago, I purchased a pair of snowshoes as a part of my campaign to beat the winter blues and I shortly thereafter realized that doing so must have cursed me because after that purchase there has been absolutely NO decent snow since!  Seriously!  NO SNOW in Central or Southeastern Pennsylvania for 15 months!  Unheard of!

But last week my dream finally became a reality!

Honestly, I have been wanting to go snowshoeing ever since I saw this illustration in one of my Kirsten books as a child.

However, growing up in coastal Southern California, I never had even the remotest chance to do so.

And let me just tell you, it was WELL worth the wait!  If you like hiking and you have decent snow clothes, then you will LOVE snowshoeing!  

I probably looked like a total dummy walking around on the sidewalks in downtown Philadelphia with just 3 or 4 inches of snow on the ground, but I HAD TO seize the moment!  I walked to a very large field in a nearby park and went crazy experimenting with movement and pushing the limits on my range of motion in my snowshoes.  I did some shuffle steps to the side (not the greatest idea) and tried to run backwards (an even worse idea).

After about 20 minutes I stopped to assess how things were going and I was thrilled to find that I was I was completely warm (quite a feat for someone who's hands are always cold) and that I was absolutely beaming.  In other words, I was having a great winter workout...outside!


After about an hour it was 6pm and a beautiful melody played from the bells of a local church for several minutes as the snowflakes sparkled against the stadium lights illuminating the outdoor field.  It was truly a lovely moment.  I only tripped once while admiring the falling snow as I skipped.  So I'd say that I had a very successful 1st try!  After an hour of jumping, skipping, and running around, I proudly noticed that the field was covered in my elongated tracks and I thought to myself, "Yeah!  I did that- take that snow!"

 ~~~

Gloriously enough, the next day was Saturday and with a nighttime temperature of about 14F, all of the snow (and more!) was still on the ground in the morning!

So as soon as I awoke, I got ready to brave the great outdoors, trusty snowshoes in hand!

I drove to Fairmount Park-- think Central Park + a forest-- and my familiar trail running spots now became the ultimate snowshoe adventure.  When I started getting the hang of it, I ventured off-trial and forged my own paths, which was both liberating and exciting!  I followed deer tracks and climbed over felled trees; it was seriously the most fun I've had in a long time.

At one point off of the trail, I turned around and was proud to say, "Yeah- I made that trail!  I'm a literal trailblazer!"  Very cool.

And here (below) is a shot of the Schuylkill River...frozen over and covered in snow!  Whoa.

My trusty Polar heart rate monitor reported to me that after a little over an hour of shoeing, I had burned over 400 calories- very nice for basically just walking!  And let me tell you, I am STILL recovering from hamstring and glute soreness several days later!

Well worth the effort and a great way for exploring nature in the Winter and getting your fitness on outdoors, despite what may look like miserable weather.



(See also my fitness blog)