Walking in a winter wonderland

THOMPSON FALLS – A line of cars cut through a sea of white that climbed higher and higher in elevation. The destination was a winter wonderland scene and the purpose was snowshoeing. Women band together to lace up their gear and embark on a journey through the Ponderosa Pines. The first step atop the fresh powder was invigorating and many followed.

On Saturday, 20 women braved the elements in order to learn the art of snowshoeing and share the experience in the great outdoors of Montana. The event was put on by Becoming an Outdoors Woman.

BOW is an international organization dedicated to exposing and educating women to various outdoor activities. The organization was founded in 1994 and has been going strong ever since. The Montana branch is sponsored by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and has been in operation for the past seven years. The snowshoe trip was among the last events of the winter season.

The first snowshoeing group set out early Saturday morning. The women and guides traveled to Prospect Creek for the two mile hike. They identified animal tracks along the way. After the hike, lunch was provided at the Elks Lodge and participants received a winter survival lesson provided by expert Mike Gilleece of Plains.

Following his lesson, BOW Coordinator Liz Lodman gave a brief history of snowshoeing as a Native American custom and spoke about the evolution of the shoes. She then educated the women on the appropriate gear needed for snowshoeing. After lessons, the afternoon group set out for their turn.

It was a full day and according to organizer Sandy True it was a successful one. True has been a BOW volunteer for three years and works hard to give the women of Sanders County opportunities.

“We provide experiences for women in the outdoors and try to do whatever activities they are interested in,” True said.

Many different activities have been made available to local women over the years including ice fishing, shooting, Dutch oven cooking, hiking, fly fishing and kayaking.

This year BOW is attempting to provide as many events as possible for any who wish to partake.

“We used to have one major workshop in Plains but this year we are going to try something a little different and do several smaller ones instead,” True said.

Although BOW tries to think of new ideas, old favorites will stick around for years to come. A favorite among many is the summer kayaking trip.

“Last summer we took 60 women on a two day kayaking trip on the Clark Fork River. So many people signed up that we had to stretch it out to two days,” True said. “It was so fun.”

True emphasized that BOW is welcoming to any who wish to participate whether they be novice or pro, young or old. “We have some younger ones but we have a lot of seniors too. They are retired and want to go out and do something,” True said. “Last year we had an 86-year-old from Hot Springs go on the kayaking trip. She had never been in a kayak in her life but she had the guts to do it. She did great!”

BOW provides women with outdoor experiences but more importantly it provides women with the opportunity to bond.

“You meet a lot of interesting gals. I have made friends with gals I never would have met otherwise,” True said.

BOW is still in the planning phase for spring and summer but the website will list any upcoming events. More information can be found at fwp.mt.gov/education/bow/.