What I didn't realize that morning was that the only thing I was missing at that point was a snow shoe hike through the woods. (And I was also able to borrow the clothes I needed).
I'm hooked on snowshoeing now. Stein and I rented snow shoes and went on a nice jaunt in the woods with our friends. The sun was shining a bit, as we made our way down a winding path through the trees. The concern that I had earlier in the week about not having time to get away quickly melted. We needed this.
Snowshoeing is a great workout, I quickly learned. I didn't need to worry about the twenty-degree temperature. What better way to get a workout in, instead of walking on a treadmill at the gym? We liked it so much that we did it again the next day. The eight-degree temperature didn't matter, either.
The rest of the weekend was fantastic. We were able to relax, read, eat good food, and get some sleep. Our friends were so hospitable by inviting us to stay with them in their beautiful house. A fire constantly roared in the fireplace, and a cup of tea or a bowl of hot soup staved off the cold.
For someone who generally loathes the cold and dreads the drawn-out time of winter, I had a wonderful time. Who knew that strapping some aluminum frames with webbing on my feet would do the job?
