On Saturday January 28th, I went snowshoeing for the very first time in Ripton. It was a winter workshop which was offered to Middlebury College students and the latter had to sign up for it. On the one hand I was excited about it because it was such an incredible opportunity to get out and discover a new place and activity, but on the other hand the perspective of having to wake up at 8am on a Saturday was far from enjoyable. Moreover, three weeks of Chinese every day from 9am to 12.30pm since January 8th do tend to wear you out. I still cannot believe how quickly this month has gone by, and I keep reminding myself of how little time left there is.
First thing’s first, I initially wanted to grab a nice breakfast because of the need for energy when you go snowshoeing in the cold. Unfortunately I had to hurry up when eating my fried egg, potato cubes and ham, as well as drinking my mixed juice. It was said in the email that the car would leave at 9am. When I went back to my dorm, it was 8.38am and I noticed that I forgot my ID card…again! It is needed to have access to dorms. Naturally, nobody was to be seen on campus at that time. Fortunately, Public Safety was only one minute away from where I lived. I dashed and broke in, out of breath. They gave me a ID card and I ran back to my dorm. I almost forgot to bring my snowshoes. It was only after I went down four flights of stairs that I noticed something was missing: my bottle of water! Pretty much useful when you do an outdoor activity. So here I was, going upstairs, again. Needless to say, I was all sweaty and tired from running around. When I left, many students were outside. Of course. When you need someone to open the door for you, nobody is here but when everything is fine, the campus is swarmed with people. That is how things roll.
I arrived at the meeting point at 9am and was relieved to see that there were only two people so far: the instructor’s husband and one student. Thirty minutes later, the group made of twenty people took off. The drive to Ripton lasted for twenty five minutes. Although the weather was warmer than usual, there was still snow. The instructor welcomed us warmly and we started with a snowshoe-less trail trip.
One hour and a half later, we put on our snowshoes. You basically have to wear them as if they were slippers. Since it was the first time I had ever worn them, I had to get used to walking with them. Nevertheless, you quickly get used to them. The second trail led us to a marvelous journey where we gazed upon a beaver pond. We crossed it and continued enjoying Vermont’s landscapes.
Being in the middle of nowhere, in the silent and snowy forest was so enjoyable, for the peace and relaxation it brought me. I did not think of anything else but the present moment. Everything was washed away. I was solely focused on the beauty of the scenery, breathing the even purer air, gazing at the majestic trees and the horizon, for the mountains could be seen.
We went back at the instructor’s house at 2pm. She was very friendly, warm and always willing to share a story. It is such a pleasant change to be surrounded by nice people, something that is very rare in Paris. No more stern, empty faces to look at, no more rude and cold strangers that bump you in the public transportation; but the pleasure of being in the nature with nice company. We all had lunch, and needless to say, after four hours of hiking we were extremely hungry. I devoured my bowl of buttered rice and pasta mix with spicy veggies. As a dessert, we had pudding and some sort of chocolate cake.
Although I stayed outside for four hours, I was not cold, quite the contrary because of the snowshoeing. However, entering into a well-heated house was more than pleasurable. It was all cosy and warm so after lunch I was inclined to have a nap. I actually felt the same way as when I skied.
At 3pm we came back to Middlebury College. I was extremely satisfied of the day. Snowshoeing was a fantastic experience, and there was nothing difficult about it, for it simply consisted of walking in the snow with special shoes. I was happy at how people were nice, especially the instructor and her husband. I also got to get to know more with fellow students. It was such a nice day.
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