“A determined woman can conquer anything … one foot in front of the other”

Oh yes!
Particularly when you have been dropped off in an isolated heavily snow-bound wooded area high in the Rockie Mountains, given a pair of snowshoes and told, “Right. Let’s go”! No training, no basic instructions of ‘how to’ including on how to put these contraptions on, no ‘nothing’! You are standing in deep snow with absolutely no idea how to put them on … and you are told: “Come on let’s go”!
But allow me to envelope you in the whole experience! Much better idea!

Arrival at the Helipad. Quick change of clothes into snow gear (so glad I did that!). Met our pilot and guide. Well that was the start of a beautiful friendship! His name was Ralph … about 65 plus in years, very confident, very chatty, very funny. We hit it off immediately … particularly when he found out I was my husband’s manager … did he use that relationship a lot on our trip and walk! Into the helicopter … Marc and I squashed together with Ralph in the front … late arrival of the other two passengers so they climbed in the back without even time to get their snow gear on. Ralph full of lots of quirks, witty humour and smiles … and up we rise above the world.

A grand sight floats in front of us of snow-covered mountains encompassed in beautiful scenery as the helicopter climbed into the cold air. We fly closer to a set of mountains and it was like we were just resting gently in the air draft that was taking us slowly higher and higher. You reflect at this beauty and you think what is it about mountains that encapsulates our greatest adventures and triumphs? Is it their unpredictable force and unmerciful weather? Their towering, grandiose height? Their demanding presence. The way they beckon some primitive instinct in us … “the mountains are calling, and I must see, I must go.” (Well that would be Marc anyway!). Well that was the nice scenic version presented to you.

As Ralph took us higher, the air became bumpier and rougher and the helicopter buffeted its way rising even higher. Now if you understand my concern, ‘buffeting’ according to one source” is an irregular motion of a structure or parts of a structure in a flow apparently excited by turbulence in the flow. Well this helicopter was definitely excited by turbulences as it made its way higher and higher trying to peek over the summit of one of these mountains into the valley below. A hand on my knee and a message through the headset from Ralph encouraging me that, “It’s okay, you can breathe. Actually. it’s probably good to breathe!”. I exhale, not realising I had been holding my breath as we inch over the top of a thin saddle between two formidable rocky spires and then plunge down into the valley below ready to land! But where is the helipad … all I see are trees … but Ralph lands this bird on an empty snow-covered patch of land adjacent a partially frozen river – just the right size for this helicopter. Amazing feat!
So, we begin.

As a beginner, the travel books say there is no better way to begin snowshoeing than just going and doing it. ‘Take a risk, dress for the elements, and enjoy’. They add encouraging words like to start your trek on a flat trail, where the snow is packed, to get used to how your snowshoes feel on your feet. Perhaps adjusting them a few times before considering being ready for a longer journey. Of course, additionally, they say it will take a little while to find a good pace, so start the walk-off slowly — you’ll find your groove in no time. Right?
Wrong!

Jumping out of the helicopter we plunged into snow up to our thighs. Marc goes first and then me but such a shock to my system. Stumbling around, falling sideways, stuck deep in this beautiful snow that kisses the land so gently and then it covers it snug with a white quilt that gives off the impression of a smooth soft but likely solid surface. But in reality, snow doesn’t give a damn whom it touches as I am now covered in white from dropping heavily into the soft powdery snow! Snow that provides NO support for either your feet or your hands as you struggle to stand up again after having fallen. Ralph laughs as I flounder around in the snow trying to get up. Eventually the gentleman in him relents and he comes over and assists me up (and this will not be the last time he has to render this service).
And Ralph hands us all snowshoes and tells us to put them on. Simple right!

Now have you ever worn snowshoes? They are not the normal shoe. I had not even seen a snowshoe before! I mean living in Australia in heat and fire conditions, there is not much chance of a snowshoe being in my shoe rack in the cupboard at home! So, to describe, a snowshoe is oval, about three times the size of your normal adult foot, open footing with clips and buckles and bent in a ski type shape from front to back. Very different to anything I have worn on my foot before!
So of course, I’m told to place them on my feet. Easy?
I cannot even lift my foot up out of the snow to get on top of the shoe! But learning very fast with some very basic instructions from Ralph to slide my foot into the snowshoe, to allow my foot to flex when I walk, allow the “tail” to drop snow that will collect on the back (and don’t forget the front and the side and all over) and with much laughter later, we are off! Thank goodness there are only four travellers on this trip!

My thoughts and imagery of snowshoeing was originally the concept of walking on top of the snow and gliding along. Apparently, snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person’s foot does not sink completely into the snow. This is called “flotation” so weight and pressure will be less on the surface and you will not sink into the snow. With that picture in my mind I proceeded to lift my foot and follow the group!

Flotation? No – You don’t float. Neither do you walk on top of the snow either. Instead, you carve your way through the snow, lifting one leg and gliding, lifting the other leg and gliding creating your own track through the heavy deep snow beside you. Such hard-strenuous effort to lift your foot and walk! However, the leader has the hardest part of all as he or she has to create the steps for you to follow and those steps are not on top of the snow at all.

And yes – you do sink! Maybe not as far as without snowshoes but you DO sink … so my imagery of gliding effortlessly over the surface of the snow held up by the snowshoes had been totally WRONG! And my understanding of taking a little while to find a good pace and start off slowly … finding your own groove … well that did not happen either!

Carving my way in these huge contraptions through the forest was an experience. Marc plunges on, taking the lead, walking in the snow confidently striding out. As for myself, I do not think I have laughed so much as ‘walking’ for me through the snow meant I was often on my backside as I fell sideways and backwards trying to move in these gigantic monstrosities underneath me … definitely nothing glamorous or graceful about it at all. My balance was so off! Now I don’t have the best balance when walking on my own two feet normally, so imagine what my balance or rather my lack of balance was like walking here! And then there is the concept of trying to turn around. No pirouetting images here instead, try thinking about Bigfoot, walking backwards ever so slowly, raising a leg, turning slightly, raising another leg, turning a bit more…. don’t forget not to step on your own snowshoe … and yes – over you go again! Such a great balancing act!

But do you know, falling into the powdery snow, which was so deep beside you, was actually the easiest part. Getting up and out of it was nigh impossible. There was no substance to it. Nothing to push against to help you up! Your snowshoes could not help you either particularly if you had one snowshoe on top of the other one … remember, that was why you fell in the first place! Or if your foot went under a tree root, log or rock, that snowshoe was effectively in some vice-grip held deep under the snow pinning you to one spot. Now keep in mind you cannot see these unseen obstacles until you are tripped/trapped by one because you are walking in thigh to waist-deep snow, supposedly on top of the snow, so you have absolutely no idea what is underfoot.
You walk gaining confidence, getting a good pace up, following the others, and then your foot is caught. You cannot move. Stuck!

So many times, I was hauled up by 65 years plus Ralph as I was simply wedged … at times I thought jammed here forever. But it was so funny and I laughed and I provided amusement for the others as I fell again, laughed at myself again, was assisted to my feet by Ralph again and then did it again. I think my ‘snowshoe walk’ should properly be addressed as a ‘snowshoe tumble’!
Oh Yes, I can hear you laughing!

Taking the lead for the first time was an adventure but I simply did not last in that position for very long. Probably due to the fact that I was moving – dragging, sliding … whatever you want to call this feat – my huge floppy feet upwards over a small hill of snow in front of me, creating the ‘trail’ for the others behind me and yes … you guessed it – this was followed by a face-first tumble into a deep trough of snow … properly jammed. I have to admit, that was a little scary as my left (bad) knee was twisted behind me and my other leg twisted the other way. Again, Ralph tried to come to the rescue but this time I simply could not move without twisting my bad knee further. I felt like one of those twisted cheese sticks! All knotted up! But, we did it! And again, standing up straight (for about 5 more minutes) we plunged further on, but this time with me at the back of the very small group. I wonder why??

Hot chocolate laced with Baileys proved warm and comforting at our rest stop and photo opportunity. Judiciously we noted that the pilot drank his hot chocolate neat without the Baileys.

Afterwards we crossed a small flowing creek. Have you tried balancing on wet rocks whilst wearing tennis rackets on your feet? Well, that is how we crossed the creek. Marc then blazed a trail through waist-deep virgin snow before tiring and passing the lead off to the other male member of our team. His job was to navigate a safe passageway along a frozen riverbank. He chose the flatter easier route across the ice. All good until there was a loud crack with a large sheet of snow-covered ice dropping a few centimetres with him in the middle. Ralph, ever the optimist just said, “Just keep going. You’ll be right!”. The other couple did exactly that and were safe, but Marc thought better of that path considering himself to be the heaviest in the group and set off cross country making his own path across ‘proper firm’ ground. I followed Marc. I’m not silly.
And plunging and floundering my way back to the helicopter my experience ended on a high note!
In more ways than one!

Yes, I did it.
Hard work? Yes.
Exhausting? Yes.
Challenging? Yes.
Would I do it again? Maybe … But I would have to seriously think about it!

Yes, a determined woman can conquer anything by placing one foot in front of the other and that’s what I did, even if I could not see the other foot!  I did take a risk, I was ‘dressed’ for the elements, I was determined to do it and to achieve, albeit with much laughter and many tumbles and falls and yes, I did enjoy it. I also think Ralph did too!

And I do believe that Cinderella was right.
A “new pair of shoes can change, shape or adjust your life!”
Oh yes! It did!
In many different ways believe me!