Winter, continued

It may be -13C, with a wind chill of -23C, but at least its mainly sunny...


It's been a long winter in Newfoundland. It started about 6 weeks early (see previous post) and now, a couple weeks into spring, its still here. Each house still has its own personal mountain of snow and the malls and supermarkets have their own ranges. A good season for those who like snow and winter activities, a bad one for those with bad backs. I got the first signs of 'shoveler's elbow' around mid-December, but fortunately I have a monthly visit to the massage therapist to ease the woes of excessive shoveling. Newfoundlanders, for whom this stuff is old hat, complain about winter a lot. Not all of them, but most of them. Tina says I'm the only guy in St. John's who gets happy every time there is a blizzard.

So why do I still enjoy the snow? Its not for the shoveling that's for sure, although you do get that feeling of satisfaction from a job well done once you've finished. But I think I would get the same feeling if I had a snowblower instead of having to do it the old fashioned manual labour way. I guess the novelty still remains, but this year the enjoyment of winter has kicked up a notch since I bought my 32-inch Powderige Trail Snowshoes. That combined with the fact that I have beautiful woods and hills with fantastic winter views literally on my back doorstep at work. You can't help but feel serene and relaxed walking through the quiet woods with the blanket of white snow all around. Its incredibly calm, but not in an eerie way. And the snowshoes turn walking into Hiking+. You can walk places with snowshoes that you simply couldn't get to on your own two feet and there are certain challenges walking up or down steep hillsides completely covered in deep snow. Also, there are plenty of moose prints in the snow reminding you that there are large wild beasts about. Beats sitting in the office eating a microwaved lunch.

So here are some picks of my two most common winter activities: Shoveling and Snowshoeing.

The Blizzard:

The Aftermath:

Freeing The Car:


The Final Insult, The Dreaded Snowplough Debris:

More shoveling:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55214460@N00/sets/72157604333216858/

The Snowshoes:

The Beaten Paths:

The Happy Snowshoer:

There's Wildlife About:

The Rewarding View:

Top Of The World (Or St. John's At Least):

More snowshoeing:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55214460@N00/sets/72157604337348387/

Coming soon: Milldaz escapes the Newfie winter and heads for the relative warmth of Spain, England and Belgium. Stay tuned...