Snow Walking VS Snow Driving

There's been a lot of snow in Boise over the last few weeks. It started, charmingly, on the day before Christmas Eve and proceeded to record-breaking levels of accumulation and near-record low temperatures in the first week of the new year. Through it all, I got myself to Crossfit, with the trudge through the snow working adequately as a warm-up - at least on the days that weren't below 0.

One of the things I like best about my Crossfit box is that I live about a quarter mile away. It's easy to walk there, which means I never need to worry about parking and I have an opportunity for pre-warm-up warm ups and post-cool-down cool downs. I don't know that I'd go as often if I had to drive any significant distance. Being close motivates me. I have no excuse not to get over there.

I consider walking through the snow to be easier and safer than driving through it. I have more control over 2 feet and 145 pounds than 4 wheels and 2 tons - and if I fall, I affect only myself, not my expensive vehicle or other people or their expensive vehicles. The main thing that I change to get to Crossfit with snow on the ground is that I wear boots for the walk there and back and change into my gym shoes. Added bonus: saves wear on my gym shoes.

I have to admire far more the people who drove their cars through the messy wreck of our streets to get their workouts in. This kind of snow wouldn't be a big deal in Chicago, because it falls within normal parameters. Their fleets of plows and salt trucks would have handled it. Here in Boise, the yearly snow removal budget was spent by January 4th. The streets were not pretty last week. Deep snow compressed into ruts - high clearance required. Snow plows on the main streets exacerbated the problems on the side streets by piling the snow against them. There are still side streets that haven't been plowed, not even to clear the artificial berms.

But whether we walked or drove, a whole bunch of people were committed enough to come in through Boise's Snowmaggedon and Floodpocalypse. Others did Driveway Shoveling for Time instead. I'm happy to be a part of that community.