First Snowshoe Day!

The snow has been coming down in Northeast Wisconsin since last night, hitting Door County right around 6:15pm. Since I didn't have to work until 11 this morning, I thought I'd get out and explore the woods surroundng my home. I live on the campus of a folk art school called The Clearing, but I have never explored the grounds so I figured that there is never a better time than right now. I started out off-trail, but pretty quickly ran into one. I hiked around for about 45 minutes on and off-trail, and it is really a great place. Campus is closed in the summer, but in the winter, when there are no students, it is available fo use all day every day.

There is at least 8-12" of snow on the ground, but it seems like a lot more in the woods; snow seems to have drifed and made some pretty big pockets, and since it's light and powdery its SOOPER fun to jump into.

I tried out some Crescent Moon Gold 15s for the first time today...sweet snowshoes. The 15s are technically in the women's series, but I fall well within the weight limit, so I figured why lug around the heavier Gold 9s. The binding on these shoes is really simple, just a ratchet for the heel and a loop that pulls across the toe and midfoot area with a real secure fit. The Redfeathers that I used last season have a hinge on the binding so the shoe is always dragging in the snow behind you, but on the Crescent Moon shoe, the binding is mounted directly to the decking so it remains closer to your foot and remains a little bit more nimble. Also, the teardrop-shape fram is easier to walk in that the traditional ovals...I didn't step on myself once. My only complaint about the Crescent Moons is that the binding seemed to splay a little bit when I put my size 11.5 boots in, but I really didn't notice any slop once they were tightened down.
Crescent Moon Gold 15 Snowshoes - Women's