Adventure #238

SilverStar snowshoe trails
SNOW SHOEING
THE ART OF DUCK WALKING
Words by Steve Dickinson - Images by Steve and other ducks
Ya look like a duck…Not a cool duck
floating on the water ducking its wee
head to chew weeds. Nore a duck flying
gracefully south for the winter. But a duck
on dry land, where its feet are too big
and it has to walk bow-legged and overexaggerated
just to get around. That’s
what I thought snowshoeing was like.
Basically, a ‘snow duck’ walking, and about
as cool as a duck on concrete.
I was wrong.
We met Kim and Lilly outside the activity
office at Silver Star Resort, I knew
straight away we were in trouble. Both
women were so enthusiastic, like really
enthusiastic, so animated and so keen,
they laughed more than they smiled,
and they smiled a lot. I was pretty much
exhausted and needed a lay down by the
end of the introductions.
Snowshoes on, poles in hand, (thank
goodness, poles are vital) we headed off
to the edge of the track. Here we were
shown the simple way to put your shoes
on, what buckles go where, what straps
need to be tight and what goes on what
foot. Shoes on, we were given the walking
demonstration, and I was right, it was
basically a duck walk. ‘Don’t step on your
own feet’, they advised; that was easier
said than done; ‘lean forward going up
slippery slopes,’ again easier said than
done! And lastly and even more in jest
‘let the crampons grab and when going
downhill use your poles’. Sounds simple
and it was... well, most of the time.
As the only male in the group, the only
thing that hurt more than my ego because
of the constant falls, was my ears from
the endless and relentless chatter, well
more of a torrent of laughter and chat, a
veritable cascading waterfall of words,
not just amongst ourselves but nearly
everyone we met on the track. There were
introductions and handshakes and kisses
goodbye, recipes shared and rendezvous
organised. Add that to a wealth of
information about the snow, the trees, the
area, the track we were on, the footprints
of the ‘snowshoe hare’ (which was very
cool) it was no wonder we got a little
distracted. Now don’t get me wrong, this
avalanche of constant chatter was all part
of the experience, it was a delight, it was
as entertaining as it was distracting.
We scooted along a path between snowcovered
trees, that you would not have
been able to walk through without the
snowshoes on due to the depth of the
snow. It felt like we were in the wilderness,
but we were not far away from anywhere,
occasionally we crossed what seemed like
a road but were advised it was a crosscountry
ski track and on occasion, we met
someone scooting along with a smile.
We eventually made it to Mountain View
Cabin and took in the views across the
valley to the ski fields in the distance.
Hot chocolate was dug out from a small
backpack, and Lily asked if we would
like to try her brownie. A lightbulb went
off, and now I considered the basis of all
the enthusiasm, based on the brownie
offer (bearing in mind the substance
is not illegal in Canada). But no, these
brownies were little more than black
beans and chocolate, all mushed up, and
marijuana free! Lily and Kim’s energy
was based purely on their enthusiasm to
be in the wild on the snow (and possibly
a touch of ADHD). Their passion was so
overwhelmingly contagious you could do
nothing but have a great time.
Brownie consumed, hot chocolate downed,
we headed back. 3 hours had gone by in
what seemed a moment, and there was
a little less slipping and falling. However,
confidence (pride) does come before a
fall, and there were still plenty of those.
We arrived back at Silver Star township
as the sun was setting. In the twilight and
softly falling snow, I reflected on the trip
that I first considered would be somewhat
boring, but was so much fun. And as with
so many adventure activities, it is often
less about what you do and more about
those you are with.
Maybe that’s why ducks fly in flocks south
for that winter – it’s less about where you
are going and more about who you are
with.
16//WHERE ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS/#238