(SitNews) Klawock, Alaska - Halfway up the trail I encountered enough snow to try them out.

They arrived in a big box from Cabela’s and since they weren’t wrapped, and the day before Christmas has the word “Christmas” in it, I didn’t think there was a problem with me using my new snowshoes. After all, snowshoes are happiest in the snow, so it really wasn’t about me, it was about me spreading Christmas cheer to a pair of inanimate objects that happened to be a present from my brother.

I wasn’t trying to sneak up on an animal so I didn’t worry about the noise they made with each step. It was just me, empty deer tracks, some occasional flakes and the crunching of my Christmas gift in the heavy wet snow. 

I’d been up this trail dozens of times, but all during the summer when the trail is clear and the weather considerably warmer. It was like a completely different hike, 1,100 feet of elevation transformed by the simple addition of snow. 

As part of my reintroduction to Alaska I’ve deemed it necessary to enjoy winter rather than have it happen to me. Even the crustiest local can tell you something about the beauty of winter because deep down there has to be at least a little romance in the heart of someone who calls this place home. I’d think trying to protect yourself from it or watch it from inside would only make it last longer.

Anyway, I figured there wasn’t a better place to take a serious objective Holiday Spirit view at what I have rather than what I have lost or not yet attained personally or occupationally, than alone on top of the hill. 

Because there was a consistent breeze and a few gusts which stole the feeling from my face, I was immediately thankful for the wool jacket I recently purchased with a writing paycheck I decided to blow on myself. 

I walked across the untouched snow as more started to fall. I stayed close to the stubby trees stunted by the alpine terrain, because there were plenty of deep pools in the muskeg which were iced over then covered in a few inches of snow. Had I stepped on one and broken through, I’d have wished I had more than a wool jacket. I had waterproof matches and some dryer lint stuffed in a toilet paper roll in my pack, but I didn’t really feel like needing them. 

I did, however, like the idea of that. Not breaking through ice (I’ve done it twice and it’s not as fun as it sounds) but being so close to such intense, authentic nature and it not taking me half a day to get there. No one was around yet I was still only 25 minutes from home. It’s refreshing to tread adventurously yet carefully on land close to the edge of the safety grid.

I’m not close to living a life that would make a good reality TV show, but I’m okay with that. I’m not out to out-do others when it comes to hardcoreedness, which isn’t a word but I think encapsulates the idea of wild living. 

I stood for a few moments and suddenly got so excited about my Christmas present to my brother that I forgot about to wipe the snot leaking from my numb nose.

I bought him a slick Leupold rifle scope - incentive for him to get a hunting rifle, come home and head up to the alpine with me next deer season. He grew up taking me, begrudgingly, to the river to fish for salmon until I was old enough to go myself. We’re on better terms now and though we’re still competitive whether it be fishing for silvers on Prince of Wales or mahi-mahi while he was stationed in Guam with the Navy, we always look forward to the next time we can get away from asphalt together. 

In the mean time I’ll strap on my shoes, attack winter and thank my brother. 

Jeff Lund ©2013

Jeff Lund is a Teacher and Freelance Writer living in Klawock, Alaska
Contact Jeff at Email – aklund21@gmail.com

http://www.jlundoutdoors.com

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