Back when I was working part-time at a local gear shop to supplement my lack of income from the newspapers, I purchased a pair of snowshoes – the MSR Lightning Axis. Kansas City had been slammed by monster snow and ice storms during 2009 and 2010, so it seemed like snowshoes would be a handy investment.
Of course, 2011 came and went, and the only snow we had to show for it was a dusting that lasted about 15 minutes. My snowshoes sat by the front door for four months, eagerly awaiting their opportunity to be unwrapped and put to use.
Finally, on Thursday a storm rolled into Kansas City. Eight inches fell just outside my front door during a four-hour timeframe. Parts of the state had more than a foot. The city was brought to a standstill. Roads were a disaster.
I worked from home on Thursday, and that afternoon I finally got to utilize my snowshoes for four miles and 90 minutes around the neighborhood.
I tramped five more miles in the snowshoes on Saturday, and an additional five with Coleen, Erik, Deb, Stu, Debbie and Dave at Kill Creek Park.
Here are scenes from those three wonderful days of playing in the snow.
Chris Wristen 