SOTC 34/365

A patch of snow on the birch tree, a dollop of snow on the ground. It is a beautiful day for snowshoeing in the mountains.

Despite receiving a large dump of snow in Edmonton just a few days prior to my weekend retreat, there was no time to take advantage of it in the city.

And really--what better way to take in the first snowshoe of the season than through the birch and pine trees, with a backdrop of sunshine, blue sky, and the jaggedly majestic peaks of the Rockies?

Lovely Weather for a Snowshoe AND 229/365

We were spoiled this winter. Temperatures sat around -5C most days, and very little snow. While farmers are already complaining, my snow shovel certainly was not. Still, without any snow, Edmonton lacked any sort of winter aesthetic quality that it could have had. Also, there was no snowshoeing.

Snowshoeing is generally a weekly excursion in the winter--a chance to catch up with friends and be physically active at the same time. Not so much this year. I snowshoed in Edmonton four times. I gained eight pounds.

So, when it was suggested that we go snowshoeing in the mountains, there was actually a fair bit of excitement about the idea. Factor in a great deal on Expedia, and you've got the makings of a good girls' weekend. It seemed like it had been forever since I'd had a girls' weekend. Really, it was only last summer, but we only ventured about an hour and a half from home on that trip, so I guess it didn't really feel like we "got away." A five hour drive to the mountains (complete with awesome 90's music and a Gasoline Alley pit stop)--now that feels more like a getaway!

We opted to trek along the Chester Lake trail near Canmore. I was actually worried there wouldn't be enough snow--how easily I doubt! We were quite thankful that we didn't have to break trail. There was plenty of the fluffy stuff--everywhere.

Conversation on the trail happened in small doses, in between the uphill climbs requiring a larger lung capacity. I always have the convenient excuse of stopping to take a photograph whenever I want a break. As such, I generally 'bring up the rear', and this hike was no different.

Up the hill, through the meadow, and down the trail a bit more to reach Chester Lake. ....We didn't actually see the lake, but we're presuming that it's there, under all the snow! We stopped and ate there, regardless. The lunch break was shorter than it would be in the summer. Snow pants are no substitute for the warmth of the sun on bare legs. We all started cooling off fairly quickly, and pretty much started heading back down the mountain after the last bite of sandwich had been swallowed.

Often throughout the year, but especially when I travel to the mountains, I remember how blessed I am to live in this province. Alberta is so rich in scenery, and the mountains sure hold the upper hand in that respect. I have to admit, the only thing more perfect would have been to see it against the backdrop of a blue sky, but the contrast of green conifers covered in lumps of snow against the white sky was eye-catching, too. Especially the vastness of it all. And the way the mountains seemed to almost hide in the snowy background--not prominent, and yet definitely present. There was a soft, muted quality to the wintry surroundings, and yet, a fresh fragrance akin to the one I breathe deeply each summer. 

By the time we reached the bottom, my thighs hurt with every step, and the snow was falling thicker and faster. It was definitely time to head back to the hotel's hot tub. We threw the car into reverse, and it satisfyingly cut through the snow drifts of the parking lot like butter. Considering we had just covered an advertised 4-hour snowshoe hike in roughly 3-hours, I was feeling a similar satisfaction myself.

"Unusual travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God."

-- Kurt Vonnegut

212/365

Snow five!*

* *Like 'high five', only snowier.

179/365

Layer up; it's snowshoe time!

172/365

About a year ago at this time, there was so much snow on the ground that when my friends and I snowshoed around the city's parks, we were flush with the tops of benches and large garbage cans. This year's precipitation levels have been the complete opposite. In some ways--particularly ways that involve a driveway and a shovel--I am grateful. That being said, I have missed the snowshoeing. As have my friends.

Currently, we are on Day 5 of a deep freeze stretch. But on day one of this stretch, it snowed. Enough to actually cover stuff. And enough to justify snowshoeing, -30C or not.

Sure, we could have tromped around the field in just our boots and actually been just fine. But that's not the point. It's half way through January in Alberta and we hadn't yet been able to break out the snowshoes. That's just not right. We were chomping at the bit.

We did pace ourselves, voting for a half-hour trek instead of our usual hour. It took us about half an hour just to get ourselves dressed and geared up. We are poorly out of routine. But now afterwards, as I rehydrate and have a bite to eat, I am awash in that endorphin-driven, post-outdoor-activity feeling of satisfaction.

Could it be that I actually find myself wishing it would snow a little more???

Purpose

After a long week, it was so good to enter the weekend today! I slept in 'till 11am, giving me over 10 hours of sleep; it was fantastic. Today's agenda: snowshoeing and groceries.

JM and I broke out the snowshoes in the River Valley this afternoon. I have taken a real liking to snowshoeing since I tried it for the first time last year. This year I gave up renting and bought my own pair; I have been several times this winter. Mostly it's just JM and me, but we are slowly pulling people over to the fun side of winter! ...The goal is usually to trek for about an hour, so while snowshoeing, we usually catch up on the other person's day/week, and chat about whatever is at the forefront of our minds at that moment. Such was today, until about 40 minutes in...

As we were making the loop around the ravine to come back to the main park area where we had started, JM noticed some kids playing in the creek below and commented on how it reminded her of days gone by with her older brothers. The scene was a brief recollection of childhood for both of us until we realized one of the children was crying and uncomfortably trying to get over to where his friends were. The kids realized we were there at the same time we realized that we should probably help. I slid down the hill into the ravine, asking to help, while simultaneously changing the gears of my brain into First Aid mode.

It was a big relief that we were not dealing with blood-and-bones-type injuries. Still, his foot had gone through some thin ice in the creek and he had filled his boot with cold, icy water. The poor kid was wet from the shin down, and therefore cold. He definitely didn't need to be down the ravine any longer. From the bottom of the hill, I started helping the kids up towards JM so she could continue pulling them up with her ski poles. At the top, we created a more organized action plan to get them all home. JM put her mitten on his foot, and piggy-backed him while I carried poles, boots, etc., and walked with the other three. Except our cold little man didn't want to go home. Suffice it to say he wasn't exactly s'posed to be playing down there in the first place. I'm sure he felt like strangers returning him to his parents would be adding insult to injury. I understood. But I also had the word 'hypothermia' screaming in my head, and knew that an adult needed to be available on the other end. We briefly considered heading to the house of the other children, but as he was still shivering quite significantly when we finally got around the ravine and up to the residential area, we stuck to the original go-home plan.

Yup, discipline was alluded to by his parents as we dropped him off at his house. I tried to reassure them that he hadn't been anywhere dangerous--he was just wet and we wanted to make sure he got home safely.

As JM and I walked back to the park, we chatted quite animatedly about this impromptu adventure. At one point, JM commented on the randomness of the event and wondering what God had meant by placing that in our afternoon. What were we supposed to glean from it? ...We didn't really conclude anything substantial.

As I was driving home from my grocery shopping, mind you, I thought to myself, maybe God didn't mean for us to get anything out of the afternoon. God uses a lot of circumstances and events to allow us to learn something about Him, His world, His children, and to learn something about ourselves. But that's not the primary reason for anything, is it? All situations, all interactions, all events--they're for His glory. Are we so arrogant to think that God orchestrates events so that we can learn something from them?

...Now, ironically enough, I realize that by gaining this insight, it means I have learned something from my adventuresome afternoon, albeit indirectly. But we so linearly think that big or unusual events must come with meaning. It's not like I learned something new about interacting with children this afternoon; all the skills I used I already had. I didn't gain any parenting wisdom as I was helping the kids or interacting with the child's parents; it was familiar social territory. I didn't gain any new friendship insight; JM and I have been through crazier. The actual situation didn't remind me of anything I didn't already know. And I don't think those kinds of situations (and even bigger ones) necessarily need to bring new insights or learning. Is it such a stretch to think that God might just take the skills and talents He's already given us for nothing more than His glory? So that we (and others) might see a glimpse of Him in their day? And not to learn anything from that glimpse of glory but to just experience it?

Snowshoe!

I went snowshoeing for the first time today; what fun! JM and I rented shoes from Totem and headed out to the River Valley to 'blaze a trail' through the soft snow. We had some relief from our cold snap today (here's hoping it will last even just a few days!) which made it absolutely perfect for a winter jaunt. We went up, down, around. We were actually snowshoeing through what is, in the summer, a golf course. But, covered in a foot of snow, the golf course has become a great field for cross-country skiers and snowshoers alike. We crossed sand traps and water hazards with ease (technically, I walked on water today)!


At one point, I asked (more thinking out loud), "I wonder if you can make snow angels with snowshoes on?" to which JM replied "Yes, you can!" in a tone that clearly indicated that she had done so before. Perfect! We graced the golf course with angels shortly thereafter. We also 'walked' across a log today, and defied gravity coming down hills. We did a full circuit of the golf course; I will feel it tomorrow if I'm not careful!