Recently went night tobogganing at a local park with lights on the run. I am convinced that getting onto the toboggan is an art form. I was bundled up in several layers of clothes and boots, so my mobility was less than it normally is. I sat on the small bench and tried to scoot up to the front of the toboggan as instructed.  It became an ordeal, similar to turning over a beached whale. I couldn’t get any traction, space to maneuver was limited, it was dark, and I couldn’t bend my legs very well thanks to all the warm clothes I was wearing.

Finally, tugging and squirming I was in position. My husband plopped in behind me and was told to put his feet on my lap to keep his legs and feet well inside the toboggan perimeter and not rub on the sides of the run. So he squirms almost pulling me out of my hard-earned front position, and then he plops his booted feet around my waist. The rope was handed to me like I was going to guide the silly thing.

Then I hear a clunk, and we drop. As we race down the hill, I can see the run and the landing zone ahead, but all around me is black. We laugh and scream the entire way down; it is much like riding down a long roller coaster hill.

As we near the end of the run, I get a face full of ice and snow that is being thrown up by the toboggan. It takes my breath but is refreshing in a freezing wet sort of way.

At the end of the run, is the landing zone which is substantially rougher than the run. Bouncing along at a very high rate of speed, watching the dark that is just on the other side of the lite zone growing closer, I drop my feet so that they rake the snow and ice. More cold stuff hits me in the face, but we are slowing down.

We come to a stop more than halfway across the landing zone. I now have to get off and out of the way of the next toboggan. Getting off is easier than getting on, but I am so excited about the ride, I take longer than I should and almost got ran over by the next toboggan. My husband pulls me out of the way. I am still holding onto the rope, so the toboggan follows me as we begin the slow walk up the hill to do it again!

On our last run, we challenge a much younger couple to see who could go the furthest. During our previous runs, we were getting pretty good at sliding across the landing zone. Our challenge is accepted, and they go first. We loaded up and scooted/squirmed as far forward as we could and then comes the drop.

We are going so much faster than before. The snow and ice are hitting me in the face, and breathing is difficult because the air is so cold. But screaming and laughing seems to be no problem. We come off the run and can see the other couple standing beside their toboggan barely a third of the way across the zone. We stay tucked inside the toboggan, waving to them as we pass. When we finally come to a stop, it is dark where we are crawling off the toboggan.

It was a good run that was so much fun. If you get the chance, go tobogganing. Word of caution, don’t let your feet hit the sides of the run, you will crash, and it isn’t pretty.