Seize the Moment!

The morning was foggy from the warm weather of yesterday. It was the time of year when the furnace in the house runs all night and the sun warms the daytime temps during the day. The snow was still in its fully accumulated depth of over 48" along our river in northern MN. This time of year, the thawing and freezing temps not only gets the sap of the maple trees running for the syrup harvesters, but it also creates a crusty surface on the snow resulting in ideal snowshoeing conditions.

Like we say in our household, it was time to 'seize the moment'.

Off we go!

My family of 5 put off any other plans for the morning and we set off from our home - each of us with our favorite style of snowshoe. Smaller shoes were adequate in these conditions and allowed for faster and easier movement. Donning Small Ojibwa, Green Mountain and Huron snowshoes, we floated as if we were walking across a mowed field in July. Without the snowshoes on, our feet would break through the surface and we'd sink clear up to our waists (my son tried it and required a lot of help to get him out!) With our traditional, light and quiet shoes we flew off in any direction of our choosing, without any apprehension. The dog chose not to wear snowshoes and he had trouble staying afloat, but the rest of us felt like we were on top of the world, well at least we were on top of the snow.

Our snowshoes provide amazing flotation across the deep snow - the dog wasn't so lucky!

Experiencing snow travel to this extent often makes me think of and appreciate our Inuit and Northwestern customers. They cherish these winter months, which bridge communities and allow for free travel and access to hunting and fishing grounds. Although we may not have been chasing caribou or walrus, by the time we returned to the yard there were happy memories made and the beginning of a spring suntan on our faces.

"What were we going to do today again?"

Stay afloat on a sea of snow in our handmade wooden snowshoes! See our products here.