Winter Fun

Living in a area now that practically never has snow, I started to reminisce about what we did with snow in the early days. In those days we got snow and lots of it and it stayed around for a long time, and when you had long and cold winters, you had to learn to play in them.

You either played outside or you stayed inside and became one of the most bored kids in the town. Therefore, hockey and sledding or toboganning became one of the main highlights. Being on the prairie, it was hard to find hills big enough that would constitute what one would call a toboggan hill. You had to go to the river to find them. So some Saturdays we were taken to the river. Those really were some big hills !! High above the river bottom were these majestic hills, free of trees and dangerous obstacles, beckoning for us to climb them and set the toboggan on a straight downward course. The toboggans were about 6 feet long, long enough for 2 kids to get on, but we really preferred to go alone. The thing about being a kid is there is usually no fear, just anticipation of speed through the snow.

I climbed the mountain, lots of deep snow made it hard going and I suppose I could of just went half way and had a pretty good run, but I wanted the top. It was Mount Everest to me and I wanted the whole experience. I finally made it to the top and looked down and realized that it was quite a hill and the people and cars at the bottom really did not look that big. I got on, holding the rope and stretching my feet out so I was balanced properly. I put both feet on and pushed forward, but nothing happened. I jerked my body to get it going but I was stuck in the snow on the very top of this hill. Using newly acquired swear woods that I was learning in bits and pieces, I picked up the toboggan and moved it over several feet to find a better course. I got on and knew then that this sucker was ready to fly. As soon as both feet were on the wood, it took off. I came down that hill in a rush. I was going so fast that I really could not see and all I could do was hang on for dear life. Wow - this was a speed paradise. All of a sudden I went airborne. I could feel nothing underneath. I was flying!! Toboggans are not meant to fly, they are meant to go down hard surfaces !! The balance was gone, and I could feel myself falling over in the air. CRASH.....

That hurt bad. My tailbone felt like someone smashed it with a hammer and my face was filled with cold icy snow. I lost my mitts somewhere and wet snow was melting and running down my back. I was cold and I was hurting. Did I go home? No - not a chance. I knew now what it would take to really ride the wooden slab. I was going to master it, and I started the long cold walk back up the hill. Good exercise and good fun - a culture that will never be forgot.