30 Days of Snowshoeing

I've lived in Minnesota all my life but have only tolerated winter. Oh, back in junior high I was in the cross-country ski club and spent some time outside having fun. And back when I had horses I would bundle up and ride in the dead of winter. And before that I remember looking forward to winter, to the freshly fallen snow, and spent a lot of time playing outside as a kid. I distinctly remember playing school outside at my Grandpa and Grandma's farm once. My cousin, Sara, and I made desks out of snow and used icicles as pencils. We must have stayed outside for hours. Or maybe not. I do remember having fun, though. And I do remember loving snow.

I have many other good memories of winter yet for the last dozen or so years, okay maybe twenty, I've done my best to stay inside once the cold set in. Yet having kids has slowly warmed me up to winter. Rose and Ryan love to play out in the snow and in the past 10 years I've gotten out there with them and gone sledding and trekking outside. And now that I have snowshoes I'm getting out there and having fun, too, and I'm kind of liking winter.

A couple of days ago I decided to create a 30 day challenge for myself - 30 Days of Snowshoeing. I did two 30 Days of Biking challenges last year so figured I could handle another 30 day challenge. I decided to make January 1st my start date so, as long as I kit up and head outside soon, today will be Day 8 of my 30 Days of Snowshoeing challenge.

Assuming we have snow on the ground all month, and I'm pretty sure we will, I think I can meet my challenge. I have nothing to lose (except maybe some extra Christmas weight) and might just gain a greater appreciation for Minnesota winters in the process. After all, when you're not shoveling snow, driving through a blizzard or stuck in a ditch, Minnesota winters are awfully pretty.

We have woods full of snow-covered trees like these...

Yep, that pretty much makes going outside worthwhile.

Off I go...