Thursday, February 3, 2011
Almost 22 years ago my husband and I bought our little house that we still live in. We were just about to get married and my husband was re-locating from Huntsville to Haliburton. We looked at many places and instantly fell in love with our home because of the property and the view that overlooked Mosses Pond (the pond left us less than a year after we bought the place when the dam broke and the water flooded through downtown Haliburton, it was 1989 and we've been watching a meadow grow ever since). Within a few years of buying our place, our young friend Tamara (who was about 3 at the time) named our place The Great Green Meadow and this name has stuck ever since. We love our meadow. We have lots of stories, pieces of art and adventures all inspired from The Great Green Meadow. We have adventures in it all year round, early morning and late evening under the stars.
At this time of year I snowshoe most days either around the perimeter of it, or I head up along the Drag River and into the woods. It is so beautiful and peaceful. My family (including my dog) and I know that we are very lucky to be able to walk out our door and head out on these adventures. We've had lots of snow this week and so the snowshoeing is extra fun and challenging. If you've never tried this activity it is great exercise and it can take you into beautiful, quiet places that not many people get to.
Snowshoe technology has improved so much in the last few years because this activity has increased so much in popularity. As a kid I remember the snowshoes being awkward and always falling off and as a camp counsellor we all dreaded being the leader of a snowshoe hike. The times have changed and the bindings are so much user friendly, and there are many styles of smaller, easier to use snowshoes. My daughter has had her own pair since
she was about 5 and she enjoys the exploring and looking for animal tracks. If you can walk you can snowshoe. If you want to get your heart rate up, snowshoeing is a great way to do that - especially when the snow is deep. I have a friend who runs in her snowshoes and is she in good shape. My husband likes to use poles when he snowshoes, and talks about how the whole body gets a work out. I like my hands to be free to take pictures. Whether you like a slow leisurely walk or a faster paced work out... it's all good!
The fluffy white snow, the deep blue sky and the bright shining sun just always makes a girl feel great on a cold February day.
Comments