Walking in a Winter Wonderland

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I have had a lot of people asking to go on a snowshoe hike and thought, what a great way of enjoying the outdoors and to try something new. Many who joined us on our snowshoe hike had never strapped on a pair of snowshoes before and some were thinking I was going to make them hike in these…

Not that I don’t like these kind of snowshoes, I think they give a different kind of experience, but for first time hikers in snowshoes, I wanted to make sure it was enjoyable. Don’t feel you have to go out and buy a pair of snowshoes; you can rent from Mountain Equipment Co-op until you DO decide you want a pair.

We didn’t start our hike till almost 10am. I didn’t take into consideration just how long strapping on 6 children’s snowshoes and helping 3 adults would take. But it was all good and everyone was excited to get started.

I picked Hilton Falls because it has wide trails, relatively easy and it has a big fire pit at the end where we could cook hotdogs, roast marshmallows and drink hot chocolate. Which we all enjoyed.

The trails were freshly covered in snow that morning and so I hoped I would have lots of animal tracks out to show everyone. But all we found on our hike were mice and squirrel tracks. Which the kids did find interesting, but they were just as happy to fun in their snowshoes, collect walking sticks and make new friends. Activities are always at the ready, but for the most part, I find children, and adults, just enjoy being outside.

Nature showed her power that day to all of us though. On our hike we had a few children with a diagnosis of ADHD. Not once would you know it. The consistent inconsistency of nature keeps them engaged, allows them to use of their energy and feel “normal”. Nature is a true medicinal cure that is completely natural and organic. One parent even approached me and expressed how happy she is her son is in his element outdoors and wants to start up her own hiking group out where she lives. It was a great moment for both of us.

So at the end of our trail, we gathered around the fire, cooked our hotdogs, ate our marshmallows and drank our hot chocolate. We even shared with other hikers and children there. We explored around the falls and found hidden tunnels and vistas. A great experience that everyone enjoyed and wants to do again.

Enjoy the video of our hike below and if you wish to join our page on Facebook and get information of future hikes, feel free to connect with her by clicking on the Facebook page.