After almost no snow the entire month of January we finally got a decent snow fall of about 6 to 7 inches Friday night into Saturday morning.  This Sunday February 5 was our first real chance to use the snow shoes we received from our wives for Christmas.  I talked to Pete and he was in for a snow shoe hike out on the golf course at Oakland University (OU).  Steve was too busy to join us and Bob returned his snow shoes with the intention of getting a different pair which would allow him to run in the snow.  Even though Bob doesn't have snow shoes he decided to go out and jog on the cart path and then meet us for lunch.

I was surprised to see the golf cart paths were actually plowed and passable for walking or jogging.  This was good news for Bob. 

I drove over to Pete's house to pick him up for the short drive to OU.  Pete was ready and excited to try out the new snow shoes.  Pete had already strapped his boots into his snow shoes so all he had to do was step into the boots and he would be ready to go.  He said he did this to save time, I think he just wanted to make his big old boots fit into the snow shoe bracket and straps.

The parking lot was partially plowed so we didn't have any trouble finding a spot to park.  It was cold outside and cloudy, a perfect day for a snow shoe hike.  Our experience of riding in the cold weather has taught us how to dress properly for any type of weather.  Pete and I weren't sure exactly what to expect sense neither of us had ever gone snow shoeing.  It was very easy to put the snow shoes on.  You just step into the plastic bracket and then clip the straps together.  Once the straps are clipped then you just pull the end of the strap to cinch them tight and you are ready to go.  The snow shoes came with poles.  The poles are the telescoping type so you can set them to the proper length.  The bottom of the snow shoes have a couple rows of metal spikes that prevent slipping while walking on ice or up and down hills.

Once we started walking it felt a little strange at first.  You still sink down into the snow, but not as far down as you would without snow shoes.  The front end of the snow shoe points upwards making it easy to step into and out of each individual step.  It was actually easier to hike around in the relatively deep snow with the snow shoes.  It will be interesting to try them out when we really have deep snow, like a couple feet or more.  I don't think it will happen this year but maybe we will have better luck next winter and get a couple really heavy snow falls. 

We saw deer tracks and dog tracks.  There were a couple people out with cross country skis, but I think Pete and I were the only ones out with snow shoes.  It was a lot of fun, both Pete and I agreed having snow shoes was good thing.  I was slightly worried that snow shoeing might be boring, but that isn't the case at all.

After walking for about a half hour we called Bob to see where he was.  He had already finished running and was ready to head for lunch.  Pete and I told him where we were and Bob jogged over toward us and we met him on our way back to the parking lot.  When we saw Bob both Pete and I started to do a slow run in the snow shoes.  We found it relatively easy to run at a slow pace.  When we got close to Bob I took off my snow shoes to let him try them out.  Bob quickly strapped them on over his running shoes and before we knew it he out walking with Pete with the snow shoes.  Even though Bob didn't go very far he also agreed that they were fun. 

I took a few pictures of us hiking in the snow shoes, see the end of this page for the pictures.

After our hike through the golf course we went to Friday's for lunch.  We hadn't eaten there in quite a while and decided to try it out again.  We used to like going to Fridays until they remolded a few months ago and turned the music up too loud.  Background music is nice, but when it is so loud that you can't comfortably carry on a conversation it is annoying.  The lunch was good, after our sandwiches and the Bob special we headed back home.  Overall the snow shoes were deemed a success and we will definitely get good use of them over the next few winters.

David Lindquist