Out first snowfall has me thinking of outdoor recreation in the winter. I'm thinking of trying snow shoeing for the first time this year. Does anyone snow shoe? Is it any fun? How much snow should be on the ground to make it worthwhile. Thanks, Dave

because we too have thought about buying snowshoes for a long time. Our friends own them and have lots of fun. I don't ski so I thought snow shoeing might get me in the snow in a way I wouldn't have to go down hill. Of course I'd rather there NOT be snow and I'd rather be where there is sun:) Let us know what you find out. jo

Just got back from a weekend on Mt washington. The redfeathers I bought on sale from REI outlet.com were abs indispensable for hiking up the steep slippery trail to the base of Tuckermans. Even thought here wasn't much snow, the hard packed surface was an arduous nightmare in just hiking boots, as soon as we strapped on our snowshoes the amazing crampons in these things allowed us to walk straight up the trail. Snowshoeing is super fun and a great workout. Downhill descents are exciting. Great tool for exploring the backcountry in winter- you'll feel like spiderman once you get the hang of them! If not convinced, rent before you buy!

Thanks. We don't have much snow this winter (so far), so haven't been out there. Maybe next year? -Dave

Here in Massachusetts it feels like I could start my garden - our winter has been non-existent.

I was over in the Catskill Mountains of NY this past weekend - it was easier to go hiking than it was to go skiing - there was almost no snow in the mountains!

Jeff

I run a longline trapline in the winter months on the Maine/Canadian border where the snow gets over chin deep after one storm. Snowmobiles can become useless in the wrong kind of snow leaving the only transportation to be snowshoes. I am very experienced and have used them for work, fun, fishing, hunting, trapping, traveling, etc. If you are still interested in them drop me an email.

Yeah, north of the golden road between the St. John and the Allagash, it is the most beautiful country.

I snowshoed in northern Michigan in February of this year. It was kind of fun but not something I'd want to do a lot. It was nice to be able to get deep into the woods and be off trail or break a new trail but I was practically crippled the next day. I'm not in great shape which doesn't help but the snowshoes are kind of wide and I'm very short so I had to spread my legs wider than normal to walk and it totally threw my hips and back out of alignment. I used the classic wooden style showshoes that were owned by my instructor. He and his wife snowshoe and have taught for years and both prefer the wood over the metal kind so I borrowed a pair of their shoes. It was very peaceful to be out in the deep woods but it just hurt my body too much to want to do it ever again. If you've got long legs it might not hurt as much.