The sun rose in a clear blue sky. The light sparkled in the faceted snow. Beauty was there to revel in for the eye of the beholder. The sun warmed the snow to the most minute degree, and made it just the right temperature, not too icy, not too soft.
Against this backdrop, you have the perfect equipment: snow gear, a huge, flat, snow-covered field, a couple of sleds, and one four-wheeler. How can these conditions contribute to a perfect SLED day without a hill? Let me explain. Attached to the back of the four-wheeler is a long rope with the three sleds (two toboggans and a bucket sled) attached. I believe you can get the picture how this contraption works (the four-wheeler pulls the sleds!). You must understand, in Montana, there are few hills that don’t have death drops at the end of them.
Well, in this sledding adventure thrown in were my two younger siblings and some friends to enhance the whole occasion! Well, it was under these circumstances with these pieces of equipment we ventured out into the weather. By twelve o’clock, we were raring to go! Once we were all well-situated in the sleds, it was time. Off went the four-wheeler. A sudden jerk brought the sleds into full motion! Off we sped!
Isaac was my dare-devil buddy. We attempted such things as standing up, putting one foot in a sled at a time, switching sleds, spinning around while the sleds were speeding along, riding backwards, taking jumps, pushing each other off into the snow, and other crazy things. We enjoyed the laughing and good-natured shoving as much as the exhilaration of falling off, trying CRAZY things, and getting snow up our coats!
Grace was my screaming buddy! You can’t enjoy a good day of sledding without giving it a good scream! Man, who doesn’t?? WE screamed at an increase in speed…SO FUN! We screamed at uneven surfaces that threatened to tip people into the freezing snow, and best of all, we screamed JUST FOR FUN!!! (LOL!)
We returned to the house for lunch, had chili, and yes, corn bread. We warmed up, and chatted, and let our clothes dry out. Then out we went again for another two hours of screaming, daring and double daring each other, and lots of fun!
One of my favorite parts was when I got to sit on the four-wheeler. There were five kids so two would be in the bucket sled, one on each of the two toboggans, and one sitting watching them on the back of the four-wheeler. It was so fun to watch the other kids fall off, barely stay on, freak out, and try to do silly things. However, the best part of sitting on the back of the four-wheeler was just getting to see the appealing sky, and the little things…the little wonders in the area, the animals, and just seeing people genuinely enjoying themselves.
In doing these things, we all had fun, but what we all kept mentioning while enjoying the exhilarating rides, was that WE DIDN’T HAVE TO CARRY OUR SLEDS UP THE HILL!!!
