Snowshoeing

When I was moving to Vancouver, I could not have imagined that I would have such a relationship with snow here. Of course, there was  the anticipation of milder windows, less salt on the streets, and no need of heavy-duty parkas and boots. But, I didn’t realize that although the city of Vancouver might not get much of a real winter, I would have an easy access to the snow at the top of the mountains around the city.

I remember the excitement I felt when, on the first clear day after weeks of low grey clouds and rain in November, I could see the first snow at the top of the mountains. The snow makes the peaks more magical. It highlights the definition of the rocks and I suddenly feel like I am back in the Alps, living in Innsbruck where at the end of each street of the city one can see the wall of towering mountains.

On a clear day there’s nothing more beautiful than the bright blue of the ocean and the sky that accentuate the white of the snow on the mountains. The snow of the peaks is pink and purple at sunrise, bright white during the clear days, and a shade of glowing blue after the sunset.

Getting up to that snow for play has been wonderful. We hiked in a snow multiple times and, for the first time in my life, I tried snowshoeing.

As soon as we got to the tree line after we have rented the snowshoes, I felt like we have entered a fairy tale. The heavy snow bent the firs and the pines below it into shapes worthy of a Dr. Seuss’ illustrations. In the shade, our surroundings glowed blue. As the sun rose, the melting snow dropped from the tree branches with a loud thump, alerting the snowshoers beneath the trees and sending blasts of powder into the air that glistened against the sun.

Despite the awkward snowshoes, our movement across the powder covered surface was easy. The snow on the ground was made of incredible crystals. We were warm and light on our feet, and exhilarated by the beauty that surrounded us. We fell into the fresh powder next to the trail sometimes because we missed our step and sometimes on purpose because it was so much fun.