Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-05-17

obohICo' w III LuNlE SHARP SHOu uOOlS
they never slip or falter, but go on
steadily mile after mile and seem to
thoroughly enter into the spirit of the
thing and need no encouragement
from the driver. a sleigh drive on the
St. John river behind fast trotting
team is indeed an experience to be
remembered.
After Christmas the skating Kinks
opened. Skating in rink, although
Of course not comparable with skating
in the open, yet, given good band,
good ice, and a charming partner,
very pleasant evening may be en-
joyed. One Of the Kinks in this vicin-
ity is given up entirely to curling.
This game, although a stranger finds
it difficult to understand, is very
amusing to watch. One player stands
at one end Of the rink and shouts to
those at the other end. They shout
back and the first then sends his stone
down the rink. Instantly two or three
other players rush forward with
brOoms, sweeping the way clear for the
stone, at the same time dancing like
Indians and yelling like maniacs.
When the stone reaches the other end
everyone shouts in a different key, and
then another sends a stone down the
ice and the dances and lamentations
take place as before. No wonder that
curling is spoken of as the "roarin
game"-it is nothing if not but roar
ing. Of course 1 know that this is
not a scientific description, but this is
how the game appears to a novice.
1t is during the month Of January,
February and March that the most
| severe weather prevails; the ther-
mometer gradually goes down to 10, 20
and often to 80 degrees below zero,
but the air being so dry, the cold is
not noticed as it would be near the
coast in a seaport town such as st.
John. There 20 degrees of frost is felt
as much or more than 40 degrees in
land.
When there is a good depth of
snow; when it has packed" we'll and
drifted UP everywhere, covering fences
and bushes. then is the time to in
! dulge in snOWshOeing. With these,
even a novice can, after a few hours
| practice, tramp over the snow for
| several miles without feeling any
more fatigue than he would do after
walking the same distance over bare
! ground. In snowshoeing, the great
! thing is to wear plenty Of socks
! three pairs at least,-partly of course
! to keep the feet warm, and partly to
prevent the Ieathern thong which
fastens ON the snoWshOe from cutting
into your foot for the soft moosehide
mOccasin which is worn, being very
! thin, hardly prevents the fastening
from chatting the foot. If this precau-
ton is neglected snoWshoeing be-
come more of travail than a pleas
ure.
Of course, like all things, snow
shoeing requires a little practice and
it is extremely difficult for a novice
to keep from getting his snowshoes
entangled, and to get into the way OF
letting them drag after him as he
steps forward. Should he fall Gas he
often does)-he will find it very awk-
ward to get UP again, for the snow
shoes being so large, prevent him
from getting foothold, and so he gen
! orally rolls on his back until he can
manage to kick his snowshoes off
But he is more than repaid for any
triTiing inconvenience he may ex-
perience whilst learning by the pleas
ure he will ultimately get when he is
able to go along without any fear OF
losing his balance.
A very pleasant way of spending a
day IS to snowshoe out to one of the
camps. A party is got together and
you start in the daytime-tramping on
steadily till you arrive at your desti-
nation-a little log hut in the woods
On arriving snowshoes are soon kicked
off, water is obtained from a stream
| hard by and a fire is soon going. Din
ner is cooked and eaten with thar
best of sauce-hunger, for snowshoe.
ing is hungry work, and the rest OF
the ..me is given up to song, chat
and card playing, and a start for
home is made after the moon has
risen.
If the woods are beadiifnl durina
the day, with the snow half covering
the bushes, and hanging in great
masses ca the branches OF the trees
how much more beautiful they are
when seen at night when the glorious
| silver moon lights up the scene and
the snow seems to sparkle like a mass
Of diamonds. Dead silence reigns
everywhere, broken only by the steady
tramp Of the SnoWshOes which sound
as though some vast army were on
the march. When seen on night
like this, the Canadian woods are a
veritable fajryland and it would re-
| quire poet TO describe their beauties.
Yes, the Canadian winter is ST.
perb-no wonder the Canau.ans look
forward 10 it. There is no other coun-
try that can offer so many hea,,hy
sports, or such beauteous scenery.
My first winter in Canada is an expe-
rience which I shall never forget.
Winter is over now and spring is
breaking forth everywhere; the ice on
the river has gone, the snow has melt,
ed before the bright rays OF the sun,
and the pleasures of winter are things
Of the past. Nothing remains now OF
that season but pleasant memories.
WAsHINGTON'S GREATNESS.
Forty or fifty years ago Thoma:
| Hone o. Hartford nn1,,t-- -. -