Rumor has it, the origin of snowshoes traces back maybe 6,000 years. Even though the ice age ended 10,000 years ago, I'm sure it was pretty darn cold and snowy after that period in much of the world. People back then likely did a whole lot more walking than we do today, so the advent of a product to make walking life easier, makes sense to me.

Fast forward In my neck of the woods, we have zero need for snowshoes other than for recreational purposes. Snowshoeing allows us a perfect excuse to drag ourselves away from our daily lives to enjoy nature.

Snowshoeing can be done as a family. In this day and age, families don't do a whole lot of activities together. People of all ages love snow, as long as you aren't in one of those areas where you have it year round. To go out snowshoeing is to have nature for the adults, snowball fights for the kids, and thrashing for the teen-early thirties crowd in the form of extreme snowshoeing.

If you've never experienced the joy of snowshoeing... buy some today or go to a local sporting goods store near you to see if they rent them. Either way, I'm confident you'll have no regrets.