One of history’s most celebrated deep thinkers had a notable take on locomotion: All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.
The ambulant Friedrich Nietzsche might never have needed snowshoes to give traction to his theories on winter strolls, but chances are he would have appreciated the assist.
Great thoughts must come in bulk this time of year at the Navarino Nature Center, because the walking is as good as it gets no matter how much of the white stuff is covering the pristine, 15,000-acre expanse. Navarino on Wednesday held a Bog and Porcupine Snowshoe Hike, one of the many activities the nature center sponsors in an effort to encourage wellness and healthy lifestyles.
“It’s a popular event here,” said Jackie Wilber, assistant naturalist at Navarino. “People like to look at the porcupines, and they really enjoy the snowshoeing.”
Snowshoes traditionally conjured images of footwear you could remove and then use to bang a cross-court volley. Like everything else, though, the older models eventually gave way to modern technology.
“The tennis racket-shaped ones didn’t really give a lot of support,” Wilber said. “And they’re heavy.”
State-of-the-art models more closely resemble snowboards and include incisor-like grips on the bottom called crampons that grip the snow and prevent the shoes from sinking.
“They enable you to walk over areas that otherwise might be difficult,” Wilber said, motioning to a nearby bog. “Without snowshoes, you might sink down over there. With the snowshoes, you can walk over it like it’s nothing. One of the best aspects of snowshoeing is that it’s easy. It’s not like skiing; the difficulty factor is zero. Anyone can pick it up right away.”
One feels an almost immediate drop in blood pressure taking in the perfect stillness at the nature center, where there lie myriad avenues of aspen-, oak- and birch-lined exploration. In addition to porcupines, wolf and bear make cameo appearances at the center, where hunting is among the activities available. A different kind of shooting was done Wednesday, however, by a group of eight from Wolf River Lutheran High School.
The photography class walking the trails at Navarino included sophomore Carley Lenz, who despite her youthfulness is a veteran snowshoer.
“One of the best things about it is that we spend family time together,” she said. “It took a little bit of getting used to — sometimes I still step on my own feet — but it’s a lot of fun. We all like it a lot.”
In addition to promoting positive family ventures, Navarino Nature Center is taking aim at another, insidious scourge plaguing the country.
“We want to get the kids outside again,” said Wilber, shuddering at the mention of the 35 percent obesity rate in the U.S. “Video games are fine, but that shouldn’t be the only thing that kids do. We encourage things like firefly catching, inner-tubing, fishing … outdoor things that keep you in better shape.”
Wilber notes the pleasant dichotomy in snowshoeing, whereby one can burn about 600 calories an hour doing something that doesn’t feel strenuous.
“I will lose between 10 and 20 pounds during the months that I do this,” she said, “and it doesn’t feel like you’re doing work. It’s walking. That’s it.”
Exercise has been demonstrated to be the most effective counter to depression and other mood disorders, and in snowshoeing there is often the auxiliary benefit provided by Uncle Sol.
“The Vitamin D you get from the sun is also great for your health,” she said. “The snow reflects the sunlight, so you get that advantage, too, without really noticing it. Everyone who partakes in these activities comes away feeling glad that they did.”
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