Grand Traverse County
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JAN-MICHAEL STUMP
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JAN-MICHAEL STUMP
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JAN-MICHAEL STUMP
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JAN-MICHAEL STUMP
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JAN-MICHAEL STUMP
100 take TART/Vasa ski/snowshoe lessons
Vasa Ski Club and TART Trails offer free lessons
ACME -- Kathy Tuckerman sat in a chair while Kim Dittmar kneeled at her feet, tightening straps on a pair of snowshoes.
"Keep wiggling, wiggling, wiggling," Dittmar said. "OK, stand up for me. There you go and then tighten it up there."
Tuckerman, of Traverse City, rose to her feet and began to stomp around, snow crunching beneath her borrowed snowshoes. She was among more than 100 who showed up Saturday at the Vasa trailhead in Acme for free lessons sponsored by TART Trails and the Vasa Ski Club.
"So far, so good. I think I love it," Tuckerman said. "It's my first attempt at a winter activity and I'm ready to rock and roll."
Tuckerman recently moved to northern Michigan from Texas and said snowshoeing might be a good way to immerse herself in northern living.
The event was part of the 15th annual nationwide Winter Trails Day, a program to introduce beginners to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. This was the inaugural local event.
"Keeping busy and active in the winter is healthy," said Pam Darling, TART's outreach coordinator. "I think a sunny day in the winter can't get any better."
The hope is for beginners to discover the fun of skiing and snowshoeing so they may be compelled to adopt the sports, Darling said.
Lois and Steve Bruce, of Williamsburg, decided to try cross-country skiing.
"She works with a doctor who's into it and we're looking for a winter hobby," Steve Bruce said. "We also thought maybe it would be a way to meet people. It is supposed to be good exercise, too, and that can't hurt."
Kethra Hanna, 10, scooted forward and then backward on the groomed trail, unfamiliar with the feeling of skis on her feet.
"It's a new experience for me. It's different than anything," she said.
Kethra's father, Gerald Hanna, of Ontario, stood nearby, but not for long. He tumbled to the ground as his skis slid out from under him, all to the soundtrack of his daughter's laughter.
"I'm doing better than him and I'm just standing," she said.
Gerald Hanna said they are in town visiting family and decided to give cross-country skiing a try, as it was a free event with equipment on loan from Traverse City retailer Brick Wheels.
Organizers were surprised so many people showed up, despite crisp temperatures in the teens.
"We are overwhelmed. It's unbelievable," Darling said.
Visit www.traversetrails.org and www.vasaskiclub.com for more information.
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