corner view

corner view :: experiment

This weekend my husband and I had our own little experiment in the great outdoors: snowshoeing. And while this might seem like a no-brainer to you, please remember that I am from the Deep South and am much more comfortable in swamps and rivers than I ever will be in the mountains, even with my new-found love of said mountains. And the snow...goodness...the snow. In the grand scheme of my life, it's all fairly new, friends.

So there is a great deal of testing and exploring that has to be done, and I don't know the rules...I bet there are rules. Everything has rules. This day we rented the snow shoes, inquired about a starting point, and off we went.  After two weekends in the mountains and observing folks from all walks of life participating in this activity, we were sure we should, and could, too. How hard could it be?

By the time we were about thirty minutes into the walk, the next tall guidepost labeled "Percorso Ciaspole" (Snowshoe Route) was nearly up to its neck in snow. After that one, we never did see another.

Hello. What the heck are we doing out here in the unexplored back country?  We did take the course marked "facile." Soon we were off course and doomed, equipped with only a pair of phones sans reception. We didn't even wear snow pants! Richard forgot his hat. Clearly, rules exist for a reason.

At no time were we exactly alone out there or very far away from civilization, and we did favor form over speed. (We were slow!) But let me remind you...I'm a Cajun, a Cajun married to a reluctant sportsman, both in the deep snow on a blustery day high in the Italian mountains, with no fancy gear like all the others who passed us.

We did end up off course at some point, and we did climb the edge of the ski slope as skiers raced down, giving us odd looks. Hello! There were snowshoe tracks ahead of me...surely we weren't the first to blaze this trail up the slopes with our ciaspole. And...really...what was I thinking...I might just take up downhill skiing as it sure beats trekking up a hill in snowshoes. Geeeezzzz.

Maybe there are rules about things like this after all.

But I suppose that "all's well that ends well" with mountain experiments.  A little post-adventure mountain refreshment was in order, of course.

Next experiment: cross country skies.
Laughable, to be sure.
Stay tuned.

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We rented snowshoes or ciaspole  or racchette di neve with poles for the day from a ski rental place right at Passo Coe for only 8 Euro a pair. Better rates for extended rental periods are offered as well. Of course, we kept it simple, but you can hike out in the wilderness for hours and can even join groups on guided walks.

Corner View is a weekly appointment shared by people around the globe, an appointment started in the spring of 2009 by Jane in Spain and currently hosted by Francesca over at Fuori Borgo. We welcome you to join us; next week's theme is "slow."