As Canadians we may have a love-hate relationship with snow.We love the opportunities it provides: skiing,snow-boarding,cross-country and snowshoeing（雪鞋健行）.There are the advantages of creating snowmen.The beauty of the snow seems to blanket our community after a fresh snow.However,you may hear icy roads,getting stuck in snow banks,temperature dropping;roofs collapsing（倒塌）from the weight of snow go in the hate category.
To find joy with winter I have tried various activities to get me out and playing in it.My new favorite for the past 10 years is snowshoeing.The sport becomes popular because it only requires you to lift your knees up higher, which provides a greater exercise benefit.
According to the Canadian Icons website,snowshoes have been a common form of transport in this country for hundreds of years thanks to the creativity of the native people.The oldest snowshoes were made by the Ojibwa people.With the snowshoes our deep snow walking would be possible.The snowshoes allowed them to float on top of the deep snow by having the weight of the walker distributed across the surface.The snowshoes allowed people to go across the top of the globe from Central Asia to Canada.
This past New Year's Eve day my oldest son and I went snowshoeing as a great way to end the year by getting to the mountain top.We enjoyed a snack at the top and our dog Indiana rounded out our party.My son took several photos along the way of the amazing views to send them to his new city friends.We are fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of this amazing country.
Snowshoeing is a great activity to combine your exercise with visiting with friends and families.Wear layers, bring water and snacks and go play in the snow.And your friends will share his enthusiastic story with you.
