| Good morning, everyone. You know what I randomly got a strong desire to do? Snowshoe. It's really weird, I know. I haven't done it since I was a kid living in Maine. Back then, it was often the best way to get around, to explore during winter. We kids had a ton of freedom, rain or snow or shine, and when the snow was feet deep and we weren't content to sit around and play the video games and electronic devices that had yet to be invented, we had to snowshoe if we wanted to exercise that freedom. I can't do it much these days. Snowshoeing doesn't really work in sand. Miami doesn't get much snow. When I do hit the snow, I'm snowboarding. But man, snowshoeing is fantastic fun. You can climb and descend steep slopes. You actually have better traction than on normal ground. You can head off in between the trees, going where the normally-shod don't dare to go. I think next time I'm on the slopes I'll take a day or two to rent a pair of snowshoes and go wander. Go where it's quiet and empty; the only sound you hear is the satisfying crunch of the snowshoe touching down and digging in. There's nothing like coming upon a babbling brook half frozen over, walking to the edge, confident you'll be fine because you're snow-shod. What I remember most is it forces you into a different pattern of movement. You're not quite as agile as you are in normal shoes. You have to think about what you're doing and where you're going. You have to be deliberate. Yeah, I'm definitely going to snowshoe soon. You ever get those weird urges to do some childhood sport or activity that you haven't done in years? Something that you hadn't even thought of? Why do you think that happens? And any other snowshoe fans out there? Let me know all about it in the WLL comment section. Take care, everyone. | 
