Snowshoeing We Went

Now that life has settled back to (near) normal and the excitement and disappointment of not sharing in any Powerball bounty has passed, we've resumed our (not-so) everyday routines, and added a new one.

We went snowshoeing last week.

Yes, that's the correct way to spell it, a single word, no space or hyphens.

No, these are not our snowshoes. 

Funny guy that he is, Grenville's figured it would be amusing to show these "snowshoes".

We used snowshoes that we bought as a  gift to ourselves. A "bargain" set that included snowshoes, poles and a carry bag. A real bargain or maybe not, because as we learned during our first outing, the adage applies and, you will probably know it too . . . you get what you pay for . . .

That's what we were told by the coordinator of the city's winter snowshoe program. So, we returned our bargain buys (saving receipts is a very good thing). We now have a well-known brand that should last many years. As to what was "wrong" with our bargains, a lot it seemed from being too large to clamps that didn't hold our boots tight. 

The City of Nashua/Parks & Recreation Department sponsors many outdoor events  including a winter snowshoe program. It's co-sponsored by the Nashua Senior Center; we're members there too, although membership is not a requirement for the outings.

The outings are held in Mine Falls Park, which encompasses 325 acres within the city limits. The name "Mine Falls" dates from the 18th century, when low-quality lead was supposedly mined from the island below the falls.

The property was part of a massive complex owned by the Nashua Manufacturing Company, which harnessed the river's flow for power in its mills downstream on Factory Street. The mills closed in 1948 and the owner sold it to the Nashua, New Hampshire Foundation (a group of local businessmen). It was purchased in 1969 from the Foundation with city and federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) money and is now used for recreational purposes.   

We plan to go on as many future snowshoe outings as possible. That, of course, depends on whether or not there's enough snow cover. Compared to last year, the snowfall here has been scant with a few inches in two separate snowfalls since this new year started.

Any one else tried snowshoeing ?