RECREATION 



Volume XVI. 



FEBRUARY, 1902. 

 G. 0. SHIELDS (COQUINA), Editor and Manager. 



Number 2. 



MY FIRST EXPERIENCE ON SNOWSHOES. 



W. L. GRAVES. 



It looks easy to do, and, in fact, 

 it is, after you know now ; but it 

 takes practice to go well on snow- 

 shoes, or skis, as we called them. 

 My first experience was in Western 

 Idaho in the winter of 1892. I was 

 there on a visit to my brother, and 

 being ardent sportsmen, we longed 

 for a heavy fall of snow, so we could 

 try our luck with blacktail deer. 

 Thanksgiving morning we awoke to 

 find 12 inches had fallen during the 

 night, and it was still coming down 

 in great flakes. 



"Now for our hunt," said my 

 brother. We put in most of the day 

 getting ready. We had to go 10 miles 

 in a boat and then pack everything 

 on our backs 5 miles farther. Slush 

 ice was running in the river, but it 

 did not trouble us. We made the 

 run down the river in 2 hours, tied 

 our boat, and shouldered our packs. 

 My brother had web snowshoes and 

 got along very well, but I had none, 

 expecting to use a pair of skis he had 

 up at the cabin. I traveled a long 5 

 miles that day. The fall of snow had 

 increased until it was over 2 feet deep, 

 and my pack, which weighed 60 

 pounds when I left the boat, weighed 

 200 when we reached camp. When 

 we got straightened out and had a bit 

 of supper, I promptly turned in, for I 

 was tired. 



We were up early next morning 

 and ready to start at sunrise. I put 

 on the skis. They were good ones, 

 well seasoned and light. I had re- 

 ceived instructions from mv brother 



how to use them. He slipped them on 

 and made a little run around the camp 

 to show me how to do it. We had 

 our plans mapped out for each day's 

 hunt. The first day we were to work 

 West of camp. I was to go over the 

 mountain while he was to go around, 

 and we were to meet at the farther 

 side. Anyone familiar with skis 

 knows how hard it is for even a good 

 snowshoer to climb a mountain, but 

 I persevered, and after 2 hours of 

 slipping and falling I stood on the 

 crest. 



While resting and getting my bear- 

 ings, I heard rapid firing to the 

 Southwest and I knew my brother 

 had started a bunch of deer. I 

 knew, too, that we should have veni- 

 son for supper, as he seldom missed 

 a shot. My surmises were correct. 

 He stopped 3 deer before they got 

 out of reach. 



"Now," thought I, "if I want a 

 hand in this business I must be mov- 

 ing." I knew the runway was around 

 the foot of the mountain, and if I 

 could get to it in time I should have 

 a shot. There was a slight decline 

 at first from the crest, free from 

 brush, trees and rocks. I went down 

 it like a race horse, but about half 

 way down it suddenly grew steeper. 

 I flew. No railroad train ever went 

 so fast. I was scared, for down be- 

 low me, near the foot of the moun- 

 tain, I could see brush and trees. I 

 knew that if I should run into a tree 

 at the rate I was goinq- there would 

 not be enough of me left to hold an 



