The flip side of dry fall sunshine is the lack of snow – there’s still time, though, and the kids at Explorer West Middle School are getting ready for it. Amy French sent the above photo and this report on what it was all about:

Explorer West Middle School kicked off their winter outdoor program yesterday when the school’s 6th grade students had the opportunity to work on a snowshoe construction project with Lee Getzewich, MSR Snowshoe Product Manager for local outdoor gear manufacturer Cascade Designs, Inc.. This was the first step in designing and building the snowshoes that the students will use for several outings to Snoqualmie Pass this winter. Mr. Getzewich helped the students think about the design and then work out solutions with the materials. The 2008-09 snowshoe program has evolved to use local, native willow as the main framing material instead of PVC frames, so the students are now building snowshoes with even more natural materials.

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