First Snowshoe Hike of the Winter

Trail at Lake Fitzgerald

We got some snow here in Western, MA it has been snowing just about non stop sense about 1pm on Friday. Saturday after work I decided to go out for a quick snowshoe. Not wanting to travel far I thought that the Lake Fitzgerald Conservation Area in Northampton, MA would be a good choice. I wasn’t the only one to have this plan it looked like a a couple people had been out on the trails. I passed 2 people snowshoeing and saw some signs of cross country skiers. This area has a lot of little streams and wet spots that are a pain to cross wearing snowshoes. Once the my snowshoes get a little wet they just start to pack on the snow and it just turns to ice. I still had fun and love all this snow we are getting.

Snowshow buying 101 – Snow will be here soon…

photo by M.Prinke

Now that the cold is here it has got me thinking about snowshoeing.  When you go to the store looking for snowshoes they come in every size, color, and style you can imagine.  I hope I can help you leave the store with a pair that will work for you…

How snowshoes work

Snowshoes allow you to walk on top of snow by spreading your weight over a bigger surface area.  This will allow you to hike, run and climb even in the deepest powder you can find.  The general rule of thumb is the heaver the person or the drier the snow requires a larger snowshoe.
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