THUNDER BAY — Ashley Rodericks-Schulwach wasn't going to let the deep snow thwart her commitment to getting to work on foot all through the winter.
When the Thunder Bay woman got up Monday morning and looked out the window, her thoughts immediately turned to her snowshoes.
"I woke up and thought, 'Well, I'm running a little bit late. There's a lot of snow. Perhaps snowshoes will help. I have them, I'll find them, and I'll use them.' "
Rodericks-Schulwach enjoys snowshoeing and has practised it quite a bit since she moved to the city from southern Ontario about six years ago.
She decided this year to make an effort to walk from her home to her job every day, whatever the conditions.
"On a sunny summer day, it's about an eight-minute walk to my workplace. I do have a car, but being active in the winter is difficult," she explained to Newswatch.
Although she fully intended to complete the whole journey on her snowshoes, she was able to manage about one block before an equipment issue got in the way.
"I got all the way to the end of my street. My boots and my snowshoes are less compatible than they should be, so one kept falling off. I realized I was going to have to abandon the snowshoes at the end of the street and mosey on forward on foot."
Her partner came by to retrieve the snowshoes and bring them back home.
But Rodericks-Schulwach said she'll be ready to strap on her snowshoes the next time Thunder Bay gets a significant snowfall.
"Because I live so close, it doesn't make sense not to go into work when it's snowy. If the snowbanks are quite high, it's 100 per cent that I'll happily try it again."
She'll also be dressed well for walking to work in frigid weather this winter, as she's invested in full-wool base layers for the first time.
"I'm very thrilled about it. I do feel quite prepared. I'm wearing about half a sheep at any given time."
