The Glories of Snow Days
Oh the glories of snow days! As a child I looked forward to that white powdery stuff. It always meant school was canceled and we were able to play in it. I loved the snowball fights till my friend put a rock in one and hit me.
One of my favorite parts of snow days as a young person was the rabbit hunt. We would track, kill, and then eat them. One day while we were on the trail of a rabbit, I fell while crossing the creek. After the fall I spotted the rabbit and as I prepared to pull the trigger my Dad hollered, “Don’t Shoot!”
I was mad because the rabbit ran off, but then my father explained why he did this. When I fell the gun barrel had got plugged with snow and mud. If I had pulled the trigger it would have blown up.
All through my school years I knew no fear when it came to snow stunts. My friends and I were always finding things to slide on. One of my greatest memories was in 1980. We had got an old VW hood and hooked to the back of Mike McDowell’s truck.
All the streets in Newborn were covered and we took turns being pulled. That was until Mike made a wide sweeping turn and flung me through the air like a spiral football bomb pass. I came down onto my chest about 20 yards away. It literally knocked my breath out.
Later I found another snow event that I really enjoyed and that was, “skiing.” I’ve taken many ski trips with youth groups over the years. One of my favorites was the year we took Monticello native James Traylor. James was 16 and it was his first trip. Let me tell you about James and his trip. James is an African American who stood about 6’4” at that time. I believe it was probably his first trip to the mountains of North Carolina. I had just given our new skiers lessons.
My son and some others persuaded James to go to the top of the black diamond slope. For those of you who might not be familiar with this, it is meant for only skilled skiers. He was known in those days for his high-pitched voice when he got excited. Someone told me that he was at the top and about to come down. I knew that disaster was lurking.
As Paul Miller and I stood glaring up to the top, we noticed someone flying down the trail and they were clearly out of control. As the skier continued to progress down we started to hear that high pitched squeal, “Brother Paul, Brother Paul, help I can’t stop these things!” Suddenly there was a great crash, BAM!!
All 6’4” of James plowed into all 5’6” of Bro. Paul. Paul lay in the snow with his eyes closed, and I thought he was dead, but suddenly I heard a faint grown. He said, “What Happened.” My reply was, “You’ve just been hit by an out of control Trailor!
As I write this article we are being warned about the impending snow and ice storm. This will be our second in 2014 and I still enjoy it. I am still adventurous when it comes to the snowy weather.
Then difference is the adventure has changed. I now go outside and walk about 20 feet in the snow and then go back inside and sit by the fire. You might ask, “Where is the adventure in that?” The adventure is making it out there and back with out falling!!
Have fun and enjoy the beauty of another one of God’s great creations, “SNOW!”