Monday, January 14, 2013

Snowshoes

This scene caught my eye and jarred the memory bank, as I traveled into the city over the weekend. My grandfather's snowshoes always got pulled out in the January snows. I thought it was pretty cool to travel quickly through the deep stuff and leave my buddies cursing me up to their thighs in snow. I discovered them one time on a trip to a dark corner of his cellar, and he told me they were mine. They looked just like these and probably, at one time, belonged to Leonard. I remember when I tried them on the first time. They were huge, and I could make no progress in the snow, so I stayed on our icy driveway and sort of skated around, under Mom's watchful eye. They weren't as popular as they are today. The other morning I saw a family tramping their way along a pathway near USM. They all had metal ones and looked like they were having quite a lot of fun trying to keep up with Dad. Maine winters... you've got to love them!

17 comments:

  1. What's up with the rocking chair??? Now that's MY kinda snowshoe.

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  2. The rocking chair is probably post snowshoe adventure, designed to help ease the aching thigh muscles that were unused to physical activity. I like the pattern of 4 pairs of snowshoes. I never got the hang of them. Don't know what happened to ours.

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  3. Beautiful photo. Years ago I snowshoed on wooden ones with U of M. Orono's Maine Outing Club , in Western Maine. Under the full moon. Heavenly! Have never tried the new metal ones. The old wooden clamp on cross country skiis were much more difficult than the fiberglass ones of today...But I loved them because I learned on them...Our snow seems to be going away since last week...

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  4. So they are that big? Wow. I have never even seen snowshoes in my life. I'd love to try the walking in them.

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  5. we have two pair of wooden, two of metal. they were put to good use over the holiday while baby brattcat and her beau were here in vermont with us.

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  6. Snow shoeing is popular up here in Canada. But we haven't had enough snow yet this year to really make it fun. I suppose if I was a few hours more north, it might be possible.

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  7. I would love to experience a winter like this....snow shoes, how cool..literally!!

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  8. These look like they would be so difficult to walk in. I've obviously never experienced them.

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  9. Right, the chair is strategically placed for weary snowshoers...

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  10. I have wonderful memories of snowshoeing about in powdery snow - such fun and great exercise!

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  11. Snowshoes were and I think still are popular in Michigan -- can remember my father-in-law and his friends all topped out with their snowshoes in Northern Michigan. -- barbara

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  12. I love these all lined up in the snow. Imagine the stories they could tell of their travels.

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  13. I think I prefer my aluminum ones. Nice shot.

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  14. Great find. Who could resist a shot like this? I must admit, I've never snowshoed. I'm sure it's not nearly as easy as most people make it look.

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  15. I can't look at snowshoes without thinking of tennis rackets. We don't see them (snowshoes that is) out west.

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  16. It would have caught my eye too, not to mention the amount of snow! WOW! :-)

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