• Friday-What'sUP March 6 - 12:28 pm

I just HAD to swap Friday<->Saturday with Mary. With the balmy temperatures the Keweenaw has been experiencing this week, the woods have been calling out my name. So when I happened upon this shot in Mark Pontti's gallery, I knew this was the picture we had to use for the Pasty Cam today. Mark titled his picture, "Woods Tripping". What a great choice of caption, which can be interpreted several different ways. Heading off into the woods like this fellow, you could be starting out on a journey (trip), or you may catch your foot on a hidden branch, as to stumble (trip) or you could even say you're going to get 'high' on nature (trip). With those words of wisdom, I think I'll hit the 'shut down computer' button, grab some breakfast, strap on my snowshoes and take a little trip myself - and a long weekend!

Looks like fun. Have a great weekend everyone!

My feet are itching just to think of it. What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon - I'll be in my office. Enjoy!

Hey I recognize this place..... it's the short cut to Slim's Cafe in Mohawk eh!

I was kinda wondering why he needs ski poles with snowshoes. Does he know somethig about snowshoeing that I don't?

That looks like fun. It takes us 5 hours to get close enough to do this kind of tripping.

Good morning - wish I was snowshoeing in the Copper Country today,.... but I did just read about Mt. Bohemia in the February 2005 SKI magazine. Looks like the ski-operation there is working out pretty well. Only problem with the article was the attached map which located Mt. Bohemia on Whitefish Point, oops!

Ahhhhhh.... Snow Dreamin' of Snow Trippin'
...Turned out that the snow we got a couple weeks ago wasn't enough to snowshoe! Darn!

And MW MI- Try the ski poles, you may be pleasantly surprised at how much more you get out of the snowshoeing adventure! You may soon wonder why you did without them. I find they are a must for going up and down small hills and through the brush!! I like to blaze new snow!! ;)

Lady in Lake Linden was telling her neighbor her husband got her a chevell for Christmas. The neighbor wanted to know if it was a Chevy chevell. She said "No a snow chevell".

to Roudy...

ha ha ha ha ha

My son left this morning to see his brother at MTU & took his snowshoes & poles with him. They plan to go tripping this week-end & both of them use poles also. I have never used them, but they both say you should also. Wish I was going to be there with them!

In the 1940's my dad bought 5 pair of army surplus snowshoes just like those shown in the photo. I felt like I was 11 months pregnant when I wore them! My family members, who now use them, say they really buoy the "shoer" up in deep light snow better than the smaller "bear paws." And yes, it does help to use ski poles!

with 40 degrees all week, when the weather turns cold again sunday night, you won't even need snow shoes for a while. ;-)

We have however opted out of the ice fishing tournament on chassel bay this weekend.

Not that there isn't plenty of ice, I just don't enjoy slopping around in a foot of slush on top.

We use to call those Alaskan snowshoes. The similar model was referred to as Michigna snowshoes. The larger the snowshoe the better the carrying capacity in deep snow. We had those when I was a kid and I stomped all over the "hill" north of Hancock. Ski poles we did not use. Great memories triggered by that photo.

When I was a young boy I remember my grand father making snow shoes. I still have a pair, but haven't used them in several years.

It is a great way to get away..I have been able to get some in lately, seems working gets in the way of fun lol. Have a great day!!

c.j. of milford. Is that you in todays picture snowshoeing?

Is it my imagination or are one of the snow sculptures starting to lean on Techs Statue Cam? Too warm for statue building.

Exactly what I did yesterday; got sore legs now-out of shape--too much near pc.

My Dad used to exchange the bindings on snoeshoes with some ovals with a hole in the center he cut out of an inner tube. They were so much easier to deal with than iced over buckles!

Seems to me there were a couple of brothers who were barbers at a shop somewhere around the Coast to Coast store in Hancock. One of them use to make and sell snow shoe bindings out of inner tubes. Yes No???

Several years ago snow shoeing in the McCormick Tract with about 5 feet of snow on the ground , my bother got ahead of me. When I caught up I found he had stepped to close to a small balsam. His left foot went to the ground and his right foot was up, and he was hopelessly stuck somewhere in the middle. He claims he could have freed himself, but I think he was glad to see me. He is the one that had us ski over the lake shore ice arch that collpsed shortly after!!

bh,IA
It is your imagination. They are not snow statues, but rather ice statues. They stopped working on them during this warm spell. But, with the predicted cold snap next week they will be in fine shape for next weekend. I go every year and have never been disappointed.

Ahh, has one ever showshoed through a tree?

When I was at Tech (late 70's), we used snowshoes equipped with bindings that looked like they came from inner tubes. I think they were called Maki bindings.

Actually they are all having trouble, a lot of the big statues have lost things already and the kids are out propping up things hoping to make it through till monday when it gets cold again.

Yes the statues are leaning and 2 ore days of 40 and sunny arn't going to help.

just came in and it was 50 degrees at the bank on Sharon Ave. Great weather unless your trying to build snow statues.

Its going to amount to 3 days of all nighters to get them done this year, but don't worry those kids will find a way!

Missed being able to get out on the lakeshore with the snow shoes a couple weekends ago when I was up at the Big Mac.Just wasn't enough snow :o(
Maybe next time.

The "Bob Maki" rubber bindings were great for quickly getting your shoes on and off, but I remember not liking them in steep terrain because the binding went over the front of your boot and did not allow you dig in your toe for added traction when going up hill. There were a lot of them out there and they seemed to have served most people really well.

Sorry. Boy was I wrong about the statues. See the article in today's Minning Gazette. I still plan to go to Winter Carnival.

You can still buy Maki bindings at Northwoods.

to Riv: No one snowshoes "through a tree" but if you go past a six foot balsam covered with 5 feet of snow, there is no snow in or under the braches, thus it is quite hollow and if you step too close your snow shoe drops very quickly into the hollow and you are trapped!!

have not seen the snow sign this year how much snow youse guys got so far this year eh

Bob Maki worked in Maintenance in our dorm back in the 70's. A good guy. Does anybody know how he's doing?

I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this while snowshoeing. It has happend to my husband several times, and today, while we were out snowshoeing together, I heard it too. We were in a field where no one had been. All of sudden, there was a loud noise, almost like a grouse flushing, but no grouse. It sounded like it was coming from under the snow. We're thinking that maybe there was an air pocket??

I have a pair of snowshoes made from tires with black nylon webbing...really nice if you like the bearpaw style.

So far 173" of the white stuff in the beautiful keweenaw peninsula Walter P. of Tampa. Do you have your air conditioner tuned up yet? You will probably be needing it soon. What a shame eh?

Laurie,

Yes I have. I always thought that it was voids caused by the snow near the ground melting and leaving the 'air pocket' you describe.

Spent many, many hours snowshoeing in the UP.

Dave.

For the first time since my teenage years, I went snowshoeing with my sister. It was a great adventure until, nearly home, I stepped on one of my snowshoes and found myself grounded like a beached whale. Whee! Took a lot of effort to extricate myself from my predicament. Despite that small problem, I look forward to snowshoeing again as soon as we get another dumping of the white stuff.

Lake Superior has been gorgeous the last few days. Ice castles have formed on the shore and the sight is magnificent when the water splashes 15' or more feet against the piled up ice.

It's been an interesting winter so far here in Sedar Bay. Each day at least 5 deer traipse across my front yard (facing the Lake). And the woodpeckers have done a good job of "debarking" a dead evergreen in the yard. The chickadees sing their thanks for my keeping the feeders full, and life has been good. Awhile back, however, I questioned the wisdom of my move here when it snowed every day for almost two weeks.

In response to comments about the need for ski poles while snowshoeing, my new snowshoes, purchased from Cross Country Sports in Calumet, came with adjustable poles. I found using the poles really made walking on the snowshoes much easier.

Laurie:

I experienced the same thing three times on a trip last week north of Ishpeming. One time you could feel the ground drop below you. Another time cracks were visible in the nearby snow.

As a young girl growing up in the U.P., I often wondered what my Dad found so enjoyable about trudging off into the woods on his snowshoes, just like his Dad before him. It sure looked like hard work to me, at that time. Finally, in the last decade, I tried it myself, and now, as a 50-year old "young girl", I can appreciate the pure joy and calm of escaping into the woods. . .the simple pleasures of snow falling gently as you and the chickadees explore together. By the way, yesterday's MTU Bigfoot Snowshoe Classic was great. Thanks to all of the organizers!!