Straight Outta Snowshoes
We are officially a snowshoeing family! I saw the title of this blog on a bag and thought it was fun, hopefully, you got a chuckle out of it. It was my first time snowshoeing this year, and it has been an adventure getting the kids snowshoeing. We feel super lucky to have a trail through our backyard and so many trails close to us. With Gavin being 3, he tires pretty quickly and can make it about half a mile. Kevin and Hazel have made it nearly 2 miles together. With the trail in our backyard, we can jump out on the path, and it has been great for Kevin to get some energy out on his lunch break.
We are finding out how important it is to get out in nature, even in the cold of winter, for peace of mind. We have gone out with the kids at 5 degrees, and you heat up pretty quickly once you start moving. "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." This phrase comes from Scandinavia, a common mantra said by parents who expect their children spend time outside every day. We are trying to keep this in mind, we have experienced that the fresh air gets you moving, and you can crank away with some music.
The nature you see on the trail is pretty awesome as well. We have almost run into deer, seen trees that are uprooted from storms, eagles flown overhead, and a multitude of squirrels darting past you along the way.
My parents lent us their snowshoes as they are currently hanging out in sunny AZ during the winter. We bought the kids snowshoes - Gavin’s Yukon Charlie’s Youth Snowshoes have been pretty awesome for his age, they are easy to slide on and off, plus the size makes it easy for him to walk. Hazel’s Ambio Extreme Lightweight Snowshoes we got in hopes she could grow into them, and she is a smidge too small, so we’ve had to pull off the rubber piece in the back and do a workaround until her feet grow a little more.
We plan to take a trip across the lake for lunch and will provide some updates as we make more snowshoeing adventures. Hopefully, Gavin will be a trooper as he tends to take long breaks lying in the snow, AKA as occassional 3-year-old tantrums - haha! Thinking we’ll bring a sled just in case for that one.
