[stylist] cane technique in the snow?

Thu Dec 18 05:07:56 UTC 2008

oh out of bakersfield, and antelope valley.  thought you meant closer 
to L.A.  I'm quite familiar with southern cal geography, being a 
california expatriot.
jc

Jim Canaday M.A.
Lawrence, KS

At 10:56 PM 12/17/2008, you wrote:
>Snow in southern Cal is in Antelope Valley and the Grape vine just 
>out of Bakersfield. We do get snow when it feels like snowing.
>Shelley J. Alongi
>Your Lifelong Pampered Chef Consultant With Bells On!
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>
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>updated Dec 7, 2008
>----- Original Message ----- From: "James Canaday M.A. N6YR" 
><n6yr at sunflower.com>
>To: "NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 5:41 PM
>Subject: Re: [stylist] cane technique in the snow?
>
>
>>okay,
>>shelley, now you have to tell, where was the snow in southern cal?
>>jc
>>
>>Jim Canaday M.A.
>>Lawrence, KS
>>
>>At 07:19 PM 12/17/2008, you wrote:
>>>Snow is closing down a very well travelled route here in southern 
>>>Cal, not close to me but it's been rainy and wet and commuting by 
>>>bus has been interesting, an accident this morning made us walk 
>>>two blocks in cold, wet rain and getting home was interesting a 
>>>very busy street crossing I had trouble telling the light change 
>>>because of the sounds, we had really chill hard wind, but here I 
>>>am safe and sound. In one particular area today the only mode of 
>>>transport for blind and sighted alike was the train. The train 
>>>saved the day! That just shows you that we don't like snow or rain 
>>>around here it makes everyone a little crazy. And cudos to the train.
>>>Shelley J. Alongi
>>>Your Lifelong Pampered Chef Consultant With Bells On!
>>>Home Office: (714)869-3207
>>>Start your holiday shopping now with great quality tools from the 
>>>pampered Chef
>>>http://www.pamperedchef.biz/shellbellskit
>>>
>>>**
>>>
>>>*
>>>To read essays on my journey through Metrolink 111 or other 
>>>interests click on 
>>>http://www.storymania.com/cgibin/sm2/smshowauthorbox.cgi?page=&author=AlongiSJ&alpha=A
>>>
>>>updated Dec 7, 2008
>>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Newman" <newmanrl at cox.net>
>>>To: "'NFBnet Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
>>>Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 5:12 PM
>>>Subject: Re: [stylist] cane technique in the snow?
>>>
>>>
>>>>Thoughts on cane technique in the snow:
>>>>
>>>>The basic technique needed for snow travel is the same for non-snow travel:
>>>>arcing the cane a little wider than your body is always needed. Centering
>>>>the cane at the mid point is still relevant. The stride and ark 
>>>>coordination
>>>>of ... With the tap at the right, the left heel is coming down and next as
>>>>the right leg is coming forward the tip is now arcing to the left, with the
>>>>left tap comes the right heel striking the ground and on and on. 
>>>>But what is
>>>>different is that the snow is covering the surface we are 
>>>>traveling over and
>>>>so it impedes the arcing of the tip, and muffles the tap and changes the
>>>>feel under foot. And so each of us tends to find that special balance in
>>>>movement of the cane and body to still get the needed info we require to
>>>>travel on at speed and safety. So an arching of the cane can be 
>>>>"grosser" as
>>>>in higher, with more wrist and arm put into it. Then of course, 
>>>>to get a tap
>>>>that tells you something, the tap requires a much harder force and the
>>>>result is not so much a tap that will yield a sound that will 
>>>>travel out and
>>>>about to give echoes to go by, but may, if it successfully reaches down
>>>>through the thickness of the snow to the surface, it can tell you if it is
>>>>concrete or dirt or grass. And sure, if the snow is quite thick, the cane
>>>>wielder may use a modified "Grab and Stab" technique; grapping 
>>>>the handle of
>>>>the cane like you would an ice pick and were going to stab it down into a
>>>>bloc of ice, in this case of course, through the blanket of snow 
>>>>down to the
>>>>walk; this technique employs a lot of arm movement from left to right, for
>>>>going the general rule of keeping the cane/wrist centered.
>>>>
>>>>Then for what you encounter under foot- In general it is not to hard to
>>>>figure out if under the snow is either a once scooped walk or snow matted
>>>>grass. And if indeed you are traveling down a walk that once was scooped,
>>>>yet is now covered, there will be the "walls" of accumulated snow on either
>>>>side which have never been cleared and left to pile up. And yes, 
>>>>slants down
>>>>can be trickier to find, drop-offs too. And if you have piles of snow that
>>>>have been thrown up by snow-removal equipment, these obstructions can prove
>>>>to be puzzling; depending if they consist of frozen hard pack snow or
>>>>something you can kick your toes or heels into to gain purchase as you go
>>>>over them.
>>>>
>>>>A very good rule (one that is not only for snow travel), but keep a
>>>>conscious ear on your surroundings and use it to guide your direction. For
>>>>it is not uncommon to get so engrossed in the struggle to work through what
>>>>is immediate to our front, that we lose track of our place within 
>>>>the larger
>>>>picture. In fact, sometimes in snow travel, you may go for quite a distance
>>>>without having the opportunity to touch base with all the normal touch
>>>>points such as a good tap for echoes, or feel for drop-offs,  that we
>>>>normally rely upon, and so some travel is by what we call "dead-reckoning"
>>>>(this should be the right direction based upon my best guess). 
>>>>And so, it is
>>>>important to frequently take stock of what you hear in the far to 
>>>>middle and
>>>>near by distances, judging distances and/or angles of various 
>>>>sounds to you.
>>>>Like, reading and tracking your movement thru the auditory 
>>>>landscape; paying
>>>>attention to paralleling traffic, that you are walking toward a particular
>>>>sound or away from it, etc.
>>>>
>>>>And so ... That is about enough for now. Got to go and shovel 
>>>>some snow; had
>>>>our first measurable accumulation needing my attention.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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