If The Shoe Fits Teens And Parks Department Team Up For A Snowshoe Learning Experience On Mount Spokane

I thought snowshoeing would be like walking on dry land with flippers on your feet.

Wrong.

It’s more like walking on water - or at least that’s the feeling you get when you realize you’re walking on top of 10 feet of unpacked snow and are not disappearing into a white oblivion.

Your boots pivot downward while the weblike snowshoes somehow keep you from sinking.

And it was easy to learn. I’ve heard people say if you can walk, you can snowshoe, and they’re right.

All of us novice snowshoers joining the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department guides on a teen snowshoeing trip were apprehensive about it at first, not knowing what to expect. But everyone was able to do it right off the bat.

All we had to do was spread our legs a little wider than normal to compensate for the width of the snowshoes.

And so our adventure began.

After the twisty, turny, queasy journey up Mount Spokane, and plenty of time to get to know one another, we were all ready to stomp some snow.

We began at the snowmobile parking lot. At first, the path was well packed, then a new trail gave us the experience of deeper snow.

Snowshoes took us everywhere along our three-mile round-trip journey atop Mount Spokane.

At lunch we could see how high we had climbed. We felt a sense of accomplishment as we peered down at the parking lot in the distance.

It was time for an inspirational story.

One of the adults on the trip, Steve Busch, told us how snowshoes and a positive attitude saved his life.

When he was 19, he and friends were camping in the mountains of California. It snowed 9 feet on them and they were forced to leave if they wanted to live. Digging their way out, they started down the mountain. Running low on food, they tried to stay positive about their experience, reminding each other and themselves that they would make it out alive.

The next day they found a man screaming for help. He had snowshoes but had given up hope. Busch’s friend took the snowshoes and forged a trail. The young men took care of the man despite his negative attitude.

“No matter what kind of situation you are in, it is vital to stay positive and optimistic. Nothing brings a group down more than a negative attitude,” Busch told us.

The story pumped us up, giving us the energy to head back down the mountain.

On the way down, we had a lot more courage to trample through the really deep snow in the trees. Nobody fell to his or her waist, but a couple of us did tumble down the hill.

Everyone’s spirits were high as we enjoyed the snow, wilderness and our teenage comrades.

In the end, the group rated snowshoeing a 7.5 on a scale of 10. Better than cross-country skiing, but not as fast or fun as downhill, they said.

You need patience and to remain calm to try snowshoeing. It is faster than walking in the snow, but you don’t get to go too fast.

We loved trekking through the scenic woods, watching the snow flutter to the ground and appreciating the wilderness around us.

One mountain, eight exhilarated teens and 20 snow-encrusted shoes completed a great day of snowshoeing.

All say they’d do it all again.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: More adventures Here are a few other adventures the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department has planned for teens this winter: No School - Let’s Ski or Snowboard at Silver Mountain. For youths ages 12 and up. Head out for a day of snow and fun on Jan. 19 and 26 and Feb. 16. Registration deadlines are one week before the trip. Cost is $34 for your lift ticket and transportation, $39 for lift ticket, ski rental and transportation or $45 for your lift ticket, snowboard rental and transportation. The group meets in the Safeway parking at Third and Maple at 7 a.m. Bring your own money for lunch. Cross Country Ski Trips for all ages. Each week you can join a Parks’ staff person and explore little-known ski areas. Fees include transportation and ski area fees. Deadline for registering is the Monday before each trip. Bring your own lunch and water. Skis are available for rent for $5 the morning of the trip. All trips are on Sunday. Trips are Jan. 11, Geophysical Area; Jan. 18, Hanna Flats; Jan. 25, Boulder Deer Creek. Ski or snowboard school. Five consecutive Saturdays from Jan. 10 through Feb. 7 learn to ski or snowboard with the the 49 Degrees North staff. Today is the registration deadline. Costs range from $174 to $264 depending on the package you choose. Call 625-6200 for more information on these and other trips.