An inexpensive thrill for the young and old. Sledding will give you the adrenaline rush that thrill seekers crave, as well as providing some quality time with your family.
Now when I say it's a inexpensive thrill, I mean exactly that. Growing up, we didn't have money for many extras and fun things, like sleds, so my Mom taught my older brother, and younger sister and I to improvise with what was probably the most hideous looking sledding outfit in the history of sledding.
We didn't have snow boots, so we were equipped with bread bags. One went inside our shoes, over our socks, to keep our socks dry, and one went outside of our shoes and 2 to 3 layers of pants, to keep our shoes dry, and the snow from getting to them. The bags were held in place by rubber bands placed around the top of the bags.
If you can picture this in your mind, and think about bread bags on your feet. The word "traction" hopefully comes to mind, and no, they did not have any traction at all. Thus making the hill climb an interesting, and difficult challenge. We never gave up though, and eventually, after several failed attempts, and rolls down the hill, we made it to our goal destination, the "Top of the Hill".
We didn't have any sleds, so we improvised, and used a large garbage bag instead. They were definately easier to carry up the hill than a sled would be. We were only allowed one garbage bag each, so we tried to make them last as long as possible, getting in a few hours of sledding before they were shredded and tattered beyond usability.
When placed under you on a nicely packed snow, a garbage bag can provide you with a fun, but very chilling ride. Chilling if you didn't wear more than two pair of pants for protection from the cold. The problem with having so many layers of pants on, they made it difficult to get up from a sitting position in the snow. We looked like beached whales, struggling to get back to water.
The greatest challenge, was getting the nicely packed snow. I remember inching my way along down the hill, trying to get a path flattened out enough to provide a 4 second ride. I'm sure it took the three of us at least an hour or so to pack the snow trail we had selected for the day. We didn't have much as a child, but we sure had fun, and we were very loved.
Another memory is brought to my mind when I think about a humorous sledding story, that doesn't involve a sled at all, again..
I was in second grade that year, and my sister was in Kindergarten. Little did I know, I was carrying a perfect sled to school with me every morning that Winter. We lived up on top of a fairly steep hill. I remember some nights my Dad would have to park along the street at the bottom of the hill when it snowed because he couldn't make it up the hill to our house.
One day, on the way to my school bus stop, my sister and I were walking down this hill, The snow had packed down to a very slick surface. I, being the family klutz, slipped on the ice, my feet went out from under me, and I landed hard, bum on book bag, and immediately started sliding down the hill, away from my younger sister at what felt like Mach speed. Now when I picture this in my mind, I can't help but chuckle at how this may have looked to someone looking out their window at us that morning. Behind me, comes my little sister, running down the hill, crying and yelling "Wait for me! WAIT FOR ME!"
I had no idea how to stop that crazy book bag, I was approaching the busy road below, and started to panic as the passing cars grew closer by the second. I grabbed onto my book bag, and rolled off of it, finally skidding to a stop. My sister was still yelling and crying as she ran after me, finally caught up to me, and yelled at me for not waiting for her. She had several spills on the way down the hill in her panic, trying to catch me, so we both were covered in ice and snow.
There was no way we could go to school looking like that, so we trekked back up the hill for a change in clothes. By the time we got back up to the house, there stood our Mom, just laughing and laughing at what she had seen take place on the hill.
The bus had gone already by the time we could get changed, and I expected to get in trouble for missing the bus, but Mom just chuckled about it, and was given a new story to tell everyone to give them a laugh for years to come. It sure was one of the most memorable rides in my life, and my sister and I still to this day, look back and laugh histerically at the book bag sled story.