The sun was shining and we were eager to get out on our first snowshoe adventure of the season. Since we love to share the joy of the snowshoe experience, we invited a new friend who had never been snowshoeing.
We went to one of our favorite snowshoe destinations, Maxwell Butte. We appreciate the narrow groomed trails, the big trees, and the open areas to enjoy the sun. This is Amy's third year on her little skis and she is doing great.
As usual, the snow covered trees were beautiful.
Unfortunately, our new friend, Ahmed, had not been able to rent snowshoes at REI and he decided to purchase a pair of very large snowshoes recommended because of his height. 
We continued to enjoy the snow covered trees and trail.
After a short time, Ahmed decided hiking without the very large and cumbersome snowshoes would work best. He buried the snowshoes and started the long, slow hike through the deep snow. Gil always says they do not make snowshoes for men of his size. After seeing Ahmed's snowshoes, I know that statement is not quite accurate, and that the snowshoes they do make for big tall men are too huge to move in.
We stopped for lunch and tried to take shelter under some trees. Unfortunately, there was a cool breeze and the trees were dropping some snow. This made both my girls grumpy and lunch more challenging. As much as I love hot lunch on the trail, it is much harder with a baby!
We cut our lunch a little short and continued. Along the way, Sarah and I had a disagreement about which way to go, and I ended up taking us the long way, making poor Ahmed and grumpy girls a little more miserable.
I used as many songs and games as possible, and Amy did a great job sticking with it. Unfortunately, I do not think Ahmed is a lover of snowshoeing. 
We recovered the buried snowshoes and headed back to the car for the drive home. It was really a great time to get to know Ahmed, and I felt refreshed and invigorated, but rather sad that he had struggled with his snowshoes and my girls had not loved their time out.
We promised Amy that the next trip would involve sledding. I guess I have a reputation for taking people on adventures that are just a little difficult for their ability level, but it is good for their character and we were just working out the kinks for a great snowshoeing season.
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