Sunday was a day of firsts for Dale Terry and his son, Brody, 9.
It was their first time on snowshoes and each took first in their heat during the snowshoe races at West Fargo's Winter Days.
"It's kind of awkward at first, but it's fun," Dale Terry said of his snowshoe debut.
"Same here, it's really fun," agreed his son.
K.J. Stearns, who was at West Fargo's Elmwood Park on Sunday afternoon to cheer on father and son, said their afternoon was filled with winter activities.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We did the dog-sledding; then we went on a sleigh ride," said Stearns, who by 3 p.m. started to feel the cold.
"I didn't think we'd be here this long," she said before they headed into the park's warming house.
Below-zero temperatures probably kept some people from the day's activities, said Kim Wangler, recreation specialist with the West Fargo Park District.
But, she said, the 100 or so people who did show up Sunday had a good time.
"If you dressed for it, it really wasn't that bad out there," Wangler said.
One casualty of the weather was the archery activity planned for Sunday.
It was canceled because of fears fiberglass bows would snap in the cold, Wangler said.
No creatures were better prepared for Sunday's temperatures than the six Alaskan huskies on Eric and Tami Hansen's dog-sled team, which offered an oldschool mode of transport through the park.
ADVERTISEMENT
Eric Hansen, of Sabin, Minn., said Sunday was a spring day compared to conditions he has experienced on winter trips to northern Minnesota with his dog teams.
"We hit some pretty extreme lows up there," said Hansen, who said the secret to surviving severe cold is having a good sleeping bag. After several relatively mild winters, the Hansens said their dogs are loving conditions this season. "This is fantastic. You won't hear us complaining about snow and cold, unless it's the lack thereof," Eric Hansen said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Olson at (701) 241-5555
