The Coonskin Park Snow Adventure
By Dave Estep
(Continuing moments with Woody, Rae and Dave from 1965 and 1966).
Woody Gay, Rae Smith and I made our way past Piedmont, towards Coonskin
Park. As we meandered through the white undulating hills, the snow became
deeper and deeper, until our vehicle plowed a wave through the fresh snowfall.
All normal visual identifiers and roadside markers were totally obliterated,
covered by the massive snowfall. Unsure if we were making our way along
the road or not, we still continued. Finally, we came to rest next to a
wooden walk-bridge that spanned a narrow creek with six-foot banks. On the
other side was a field of white that curved upward for three hundred yards, with
white finger-like pathways that disappeared behind the densely
populated gray-brown trees. Just in front of the tree line was a crowd of
people standing around a bonfire. I was teeming with anticipation as I
jumped out and quickly began making a series of snowballs, preparing for an
ambush. Woody walked around the car and reached to untie the snow sleds from the
roof of the car.
"Okay, anyone who hits me with a snowball is going to
regret it," he warns, as he continues unwrapping the rope.
As soon as Woody's hands touched the rope, I drew first blood by pelting him
with a massive snowball squarely in the back. About three seconds later,
Rae hits him in the neck with a dinner plate sized hunk of snow and runs around
the car giggling. Woody spins around with his hand on his hips and
declares; "the war has begun!" Woody falls back against the side
of the car as five or six of my finest snow balls impact him in the chest just
at the end of his declaration.
"Cry Havoc, and let loose the Dogs of War !" Nearly a quarter
ton of arching white ballistic projectiles of all shapes and sizes found and
missed their mark, until the combatants fell from exhaustion. I laid
tending my cold wet wounds, and stinging frozen hands, squirming as dendrites of
melted snow creped under my shirt collar and down my back.
Following the negotiated cease-fire, we removed the snow sleds from the roof of
the car. The virginal landscape of white crunched under my footsteps as we
made our way across the arching valley and up the incline toward the bonfire.
Woody had a fine snow sled. A massive thing, six feet in
length. Assembled with varnished wood slats and red accents, with ornate
black iron rungs that ran the full length and ending in two inch spirals at
their trailing edges.
Rae and I stood by the bonfire warming ourselves as we watched Woody prepare for
the test flight of the ultimate snow sled. Pushing and pulling the sled,
Woody depressed the snow under the rungs, reducing the friction for a quick
launch. Pulling it back one more time, he explodes in a run and falls
prone onto the sled as he zooms down the incline.
I turned, facing Rae and stated that that sled is the largest
I've ever seen. Everyone around the bonfire was in concurrence as we
watched Woody making his way up the incline. "We need to go
further," he states as he approaches us, pointing to the small pathways
leading behind the trees. Rae and I followed him into the forest, behind
the tree line.
"Rae, it's your turn," Woody declares. Rae gingerly
lies down, gripping the steering arms with her hands. Woody and I begin to
move her back and forth to prepare for launch, when he winks and motions with
his hand to lie on top of her as we depart. We push her down the pathway,
running faster and faster, then Woody jumps on her back, and I follow by jumping
on top of them both, after giving the final push!
Zooming down the narrow pathway, stacked three high, the massive
snow sled hit the first of three moguls. I heard Rae grunt as we hit the
first one, then the second bump came up fast, launching us even higher.
Rae and Woody, both grunted as we hit the ground and began to laugh. [Now
imagine yourself standing at the bonfire, and looking over your right shoulder
toward the screaming laughter coming from the woods behind]
Just before emerging from behind the tree line, the massive sled
collapsed and stopped instantly, as Rae became the sled. The people
standing around the bonfire watched in catatonic amazement as Woody and I rode
Rae, at breakneck speed down the steep slope. Rae consumed yards of snow
as she screamed and laughed. When Woody and I dismounted, Rae's back was
level with the surface of the snow. She looked as though a steamroller had
pushed her flat. Woody and I quickly dug her out of the snow and lifted
her to her feet. Rae had so much snow jammed down the front of her coat
that she looked pregnant.
The three of us climbed back and surveyed the damage to the
perfect
sled. For some reason it didn't matter.
[...unforgetable..]
|