Jeff Tried Snowshoeing in an L.L. Bean Discovery Course

In a shocking development, I got outdoors in the snow yesterday by strapping snowshoes on my feet and walking through the woods.

Michele was invited by her friend to take an L.L. Bean Discovery Course on snowshoeing and asked, with pleading eyes mind you, if I would go with her. I hate winter I think there is no good reason to be outside in the snow unless you're riding a snowmobile, but I knew it would mean a lot to her, so I reluctantly said yes.

We boarded a bus at L.L. Bean in Freeport that took us a short drive to Fogg Farm, which is part of 800 acres off Desert Road that L.L. Bean owns for preservation and outdoor recreation.

Our instructor Erik showed us how snowshoes work, how to use your poles and proper clothing you should be wearing.

It was in the 40s Sunday and I figured I'd be a sweaty mess, so I really didn't wear anything special other than a pair of gloves.

We started out easy with some basic snowshoeing through an open field and it was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. Imagine walking with clown shoes. You just have to remember they're a lot longer than what you normally wear on your feet.

Then we took off into the woods to walk along a trail.

That's when Erik decided to go off trail, where we walked up boulders, across large, fallen trees and navigated streams. It's the kind of snowshoeing he loves and to be honest, it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be.

Much to Michele's surprise, I actually didn't hate it. In fact, if we stayed on trail I think I might actually like winter....a little.