Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-06-23
NUMBER so.
THE ART OF SNOWSHOElNG.
No Mnn Is Born TO II, and only Fofth-
full Practice naLes .'r..ect.

No Man Is Born 10 II, and only Fofth-
full Practice nakes .'r.:sct.
When Captain Glenn Of oGr army
was sent with q detachment ~ soldiers
to carry out some extensive .xplora-
tions in Alaska last year. he found
that snowshoes would have ~ play an
important part in the wo. K. Au incl
dent occurred one day thut proved to
him II was high time to iirak In all
the men who had not leai u'sl the art
of snowshoe travel The r.rctacle he
and his party witnessed WAS amusing
10 all except the unfortE..a:s Derson
who supplied the fun.
1t was before the party III started
inland. The hospital ste~L.A ~as ln-
structed to cross certain 81. .rr and
report to Lieutenant LearE..:.. Ii was
necessary to wear snowshocs As the
weather was not cold enouL ~ form
a crust that would bear the rright OF
a man. So he put on thct. -. aud
Captain Glenn AYERS In his report.
which the war department 'rs just
published, that no one was {. r seen
who was so utterly helpless v''a such
footgear attached to him as ....s hos
pital steward.
he persisted In sticking the toe OF
his shoes into the snow, and T.. error
kept him In trouble. Then abo'.t every
third pace be would step on Ole Shoe
with the other and keel headlo'g g over
into the snow. In this sltua .on hr
was a mere mass of helplessnc, ;. ami.
do what he might he couldn arist
till somebody came and boosted him
to his feet. II took him eight hours
to travel two miles. and before he got
back to camp he had given up snow.
shoeing. He came In waddling through
the snow up to his hips and draegins
his shoes.
This convinced the captain tn II
was absolutely necessary for e.. y
member of the detachment TO kL.H
how to use snowshoes, and 30 ii'
edict went forth that the steward a!
every other man who had not preyloI
ly acquired this knowledge should
snowshoes for a walk of five miles G.
cry day till all were proficient.
All Of which calls to mind that In the
very winter that John Milton entered
Cambridge university. 1926, there wa
tremendous fall of snow In England.
the like of which had not been seen by
the oldest inhabitant, and history re-
cords that it kept deep and soft for
weeks. The English had heard Of
snowshoeing In Norway and the arctic
regions. and 80 some of them, who had
to get about somehow, took to making
snowshoes and learned the guile that
was In them. A modern novelist who
tells story Of that period has his hero
describe his experience with this foot
wear:
II built myself a pair Of strong and
light snowshoes, framed with ash and
ribbed of witty, with half tanned calf
skin stretched across and an inner sole
to support my feet. At first could not
walk at all, but foundered about most
piteously, catching one shoe In the 9TH
er and both of them In the snowdrifts,
to the great amusement Of the girls
who were come to look at me. But
after awhile I grew more expert and
crossed the farmyard and came back
again, though turning was the worst
thing Of all, without so much as falling
once"
All arctic explorers have testified
that snowshoeing Is not easy to learn
and that 1t is still more difficult to mas
ter the Norwegian ski.-New York Sun.