Early explorers and fur traders found the Northern Indians using tools uniquely suited to their environment and way of life. Two of these, the canoe and snowshoe, were quickly adopted by the newcomers.

No one since has improved on the basic design of either, although materials-wise, aluminum and plastics have pretty well taken over the canoe construction and have made some inroads in the snowshoe field.

Most snowshoes however, are still made with traditional ash or hickory frames and rawhide mesh. The belief seems strong that snow or ice adheres less to these as temperatures fluctuate.

Indians favored caribou or moose hide for webbing because it stretched least when wet. Now, cowhide thongs are used and protected with varnish.

Unlike skis, snowshoes are not made for speed. Rather their purpose was to allow the user as much mobility in winter as summer. Even a beginner can travel through brush, up and down steep wooded inclines and among blowdowns where a skier would be in trouble and some one on foot bogged down. Every nook in a snow-bound woods can be checked.

For several winters Frosty Parish and I have made periodic trips to check a summer cabin in the National Forest in Price County. Parking our jeep on a town road, we strap on snowshoes and strike out through the woods for the cabin.

These excursions are highlights of the winter for both of us. The snow is almost always deep and never crusted enough to support a walker for more than a few steps. With snowshoes however, we can move about easily and are free to absorb the beauty of the winter woods.

There are animal and bird tracks to decipher, and windfalls to appraise with next season's woodpile in mind. Chickadees check us out and, more often than not, a fleeting shadow will apprise us that Canada jays are honoring us with an escort.

When it is overcast, tall white birches stand in stark contrast against the steel gray sky. In sunny weather, their elongated shadows break the monotony of the snow canopy.

There may be a gale in the tree tops but down where we are all is calm. Undisturbed by wind, stubs and stumps have caps of snow where lateral glaze lines graphically enumerate the season's snow falls.

There is nothing complicated about snowshoeing. Put them on and start walking. No special foot wear is needed although hard heels may wear webbing unnecessarily.

Only the front of the foot is fastened to the snowshoe. The heel is free and raised on each step. The toe moves down into an opening as the heel is raised.

In everyday walking, the heel is only slightly elevated, but when snowshoeing it is raised almost perpendicular.

Do not try to walk with your feet too far apart. Bring the rear shoe forward and outward enough so it doesn't strike the other ankle.

Actually, you need to lift the shoe only enough so the front clears the top of the snow, Your gait will be similar to sliding along in too-large carpet slippers.

Most trouble comes from placing the tail of one shoe over the other and then trying to step with the second shoe.

Dig your feet deeper into the toe holes when climbing a steep grade and iean back slightly coming down.

The colder snowshoes are, the better they will support you. In the field, don't take them in the cabin or tent at night if they are to be used the next day. Leave them upright in the snow near the door.

There are three basic kinds, each the best for certain conditions.

One is the tail-less oval "bear paw" shoe designed for walking in thick brush, rough terrain or along stream banks. This is the favorite of many trappers.

The "Michigan" is a bit longer with a tail. it is the forester and timber cruiser's snowshoe. The toe-hole on this is well forward, allowing the user to approach trees or other objects closely without removing the shoes. This is probably the best all-purpose shoe, and is used widely by hunters.

Finally, the "Pickeral" or "Alaska", which is a long, slender variety with a sharply turned-up toe and long tail. It is a fast, ski-like snowshoe for use in open country.

The user's weight will determine, to some extent, the size shoe needed. For instance, one manufacturer recommends a 13x48 inch snowshoe for people weighing 170 pounds.

Any snowshoe must have sufficient length back of the foot to make the toe end lift first. This tail-down position thrusts the shoe forward slightly at each step, aiding the stride and making for less fatigue.

Sometimes old-timers helped themselves along in tough-going by fastening a line to the tip of each shoe to help lift the toe by hand.

Most snowshoes are light and strong, but have limitations. Don't try jumping with them; a rock or stump may be buried in the snow.

Don't try using snowshoes for a bridge, and don't slide downhill on them, it can ruin the webbing.

Occasional inspection and revarnishing when necessary will make your snowshoes last. Pay special attention to where the webbing wraps over the frame, and use spar varnish to protect the webbing.

"Mal de raquette" or the leg and foot cramps that sometimes affect novice snowshoers is caused by prolonged tenseness of muscles and cords in legs and insteps.

Avoid it by staying relaxed. Think of those carpet slippers and just lift the toes enough to clear the top of the snow.