The constant pounding of hard snow on steel
A friend and I were going to do a winter hike and camp in the White Mountains in New Hampshire some years back. It was cold, but a nice, bright February day, about 6-8 inches of snow with a hard crust on top.
Neither of us had ever done winter camping like this, and it was not a strenuous hike at all, only about five miles to a 3200 ft. elevation, and we had done it quite a few times before. Our backpacks were pretty heavy, but we had appropriate clothing and boots, so off we went.
Well, we started walking, and every other step, our weight was enough to break that foot through the snow, and come to a screeching halt after about a 6-8” drop.
It doesn’t sound like much, but after about a mile, I realized that I was not going to be able to do it. Each time my foot broke through and stopped with a thud when it hit solid ground, felt like a jackhammer blow to the vertical aspect of my spine. I have a bad back, and had to call it. We found a motel for the night, drank beer, and drove home the next day.
Maybe I should have tried snowshoes, but...never used them, and that wasn’t the time to learn!