The sun had not risen yet, nor had the temperature. But it was a calm 2 degrees below zero as my two dogs, Simon and Quinn, and I set off into the Vernon Wildlife Preserve.
For a change, winter was acting like winter. In addition to the cold, there was ample snow on the ground, about four inches.Since last year, I had been waiting for conditions like this, the kind that make snowshoeing one of winter's little pleasures. The fact that there was not a cloud in the sky and that a nearly full moon was illuminating the pre-dawn landscape made it even better.
Snowshoeing is something that most people, including myself, do far too little of. I won't say that snowshoeing is a life-changing experience, but it is an activity that can change your attitude about winter.
Normally, the colder and snowier it gets, the more people complain and hunker down. But I defy any properly dressed person to trek onto a scenic wooded trail with snowshoes during the depths of winter and feel anything but exhilaration.
Snowshoeing is the kind of fitness activity that nearly everyone can do. If you can walk, you can snowshoe. If you can run, you can snowshoe even faster.
One of the many benefits of snowshoeing is that it requires more energy than walking on a dry sidewalk. It is estimated that snowshoeing burns 25 percent more calories than regular walking or running. It also generates more body heat, which is why it can be enjoyable even in very cold weather.
A small study done by researchers from the University of Vermont last year suggested that running in snowshoes may be as good as, if not better than, running when it comes to improving fitness.
For the study, 16 people were put on a six-week program of snowshoeing or running. The exercise sessions were done at 75 percent to 85 percent of maximum heart rate -- a fairly vigorous pace -- for 30 minutes, three to four times a week.
At the end of the six weeks, the two groups were retested for two fitness measures, run time to exhaustion on a treadmill and VO2 Max, which is a measure of the body's ability to use oxygen.
Both groups improved, but the snowshoers improved more. The snowshoers increased their run time to exhaustion by 35 percent and the VO2 Max by 12 percent, compared with 23 percent and 8 percent for the runners.
"These preliminary results suggest that snowshoe training may be a viable substitute for run exercise in winter conditions," the researchers wrote.
The study was partially funded by a snowshoe company.
I'm not at all surprised by the results.
Running in snowshoes is like trying to get away from a monster in a nightmare. You're working really hard, but you're not getting where you want to go fast enough.
The same is true of snowshoe walking: It takes more effort.
Snowshoeing also is a low-impact activity. You are cushioned by the snow as well as the decking in the shoes. But beyond that, it's just fun. It allows you to see landscape and scenery in whole new way, giant oaks still holding bushels of brown leaves, ponds with hard frosted surfaces, the tracks of deer and coyote.
It also is something the whole family can do.
At least two companies offer inexpensive ($30 to $40) snowshoes for children ages 4 to 8.
For adults, snowshoe prices start at about $100. Models designed for running and intensive fitness activities generally cost more than $200. For most shoes, lightweight plastic and aluminum have replaced the traditional wood and leather construction.