Iron County register., 1891-01-15
THE SNOW SHOE.
MS ''S In the North Where Snow r.,
all the Xaar

M the North Where Snow Last,
all the Year.
Those who look for the first +;,, -
"iie clumsy snow-shoes that hang
ooo'eo upon the wall of young bach.
"Pdr lInent, or are exhibited in
museum among other curious
irolh the north, would regard
"' an awkward sort of shoe and
uiiicull II not dangerous thing to use
i1 esihner Is as i'll at ease as a cat
WIN paper shoes on, and more certain
10 Ioihe 10 grief. With the abiect hu-
nililty that follows the first trial comes
respect Tor the snow-shoer of ONLY
average aoi!lty, awe and admiration for
the expert who shuffies along uncon-
sclous OF the great fiat surfaces tied to
his feet W
IN the northern part of the United
states ana IN Canada, where it is said
the year consists of eight months win.
Cer ana Tour months poor sledding." the
shoW-shoel Is a necessity for hunters. trap
PerS, ana those who must travel the nm
orohen snow These men begin as bows
tramplng about with long narrow clan
boards fastened to their feet. SETTING
WIRE nooses for the little white rabbits
that track the snow with their own
broad feet. As they grow older thev
get their first pair of raw-hide snow
shoes, and with these they 90 beat
ing about the country on LONGER
excursions with gun on shoulder scar
ing away every thing but the noisv
squirrels and impudent chickadees. As
men, one must be with them to annre.
clate the ease with which they can run.
the marvellous way they slide down the
steepest banks, clinging to limbs and
bushes, and how they go, with skin and
jump, after the long-legged, startled
moose, through the toughest places
where the great trees uprooted by the
storms lie piled in endless confusion
underneath the snow. never tripping.
never falling. As your Indian guide
tells You, ''Sartin fall down, very poor
hunter.'
have heard from those who knew
him OF a certain lumberman in Canada
who was so good a snow-shoer that
there was not Il man in the whole coun-
try who. running on a hard-beaten
roadway with moccasins. could beat
hIm as he ran on his Snow-shoes in the
deep snow alongside
As means of recreation and social
enjoyment snow-shoeing has been
taken up by Canadians and by Ameri-
cans who visit Canada. For many
years snow-shOe clubs. especially those
OF Montreal. have held. besides their |
regular trans, tournaments each year,
which many people from the United |
States have keenly enjoyed These |
carnivals have been initiated in our own |
cities where there has been enough |
snow and ice for those northern sports. |
There are hurdle races also 1t seems |
to us impossible to jump hurdle with
snow-shoes such as are worn at Mon
trea1- These shoes are the kind we see
most commonly in the United States,
and are noticeable for their long heels
which would be dreadful!y in the way
when Jumping.
In the early wars with French and In
dians many a winter campaign could
never have been carried on but for the
snow-shoes. which alone made march
ing possible. In the winter attacks of
the savages upon the settlements in
Northern New England and in the ex-
petitions of English and French troops.
We're Il necessary part of
their equipment, their baggage being
hauled on sleds and toboggans.
as quickly and with less
fatigue on snow-shocs over the snow
than on foot over the same ground after
the snow has melted away. There is
in the spring of the snow
shoe and in the manner of the long
step that makes it easier than
ordinary walking. especially if the
ground is uneven.
Nothing is more awkward for be-
ginner than learning to keep right side
up on snow-shoeS. 1t is not necessary
to walk with legs stretched wide apart,
for one shoe is lifted over instead of
around the other. The tracks lie one in
front of the other almost as in ordinary
walking. BY taking long steps one
need never founder in the snow as a
beginner does who let's the toe of one
shoe get caught under the heel of the
Adney, in Harper
Young People.