MINOT — Kelly Gwarjanski and Tracey Twitchell Pray’s children get outside every day.

“It’s a must. We go out every day for at least 20 minutes a day,” said Twitchell Pray, mother of Gracie, 5, and Isabella, 8.

“I’m outside with my kids every day,” said Gwarjanski, mother of Adam, 4, and Bradley, 6.

During workouts at the local gym, the two Minot mothers decided to spread the outdoor wealth to the schoolmates of their children — and the Minot Consolidated School Snowshoe Club was born.

“Snowshoeing is an inexpensive way to get the kids outside and get some exercise and have some fun,” Twitchell Pray said. “Winters are long and not every family can afford skiing.”

Thirty-eight children meet every Wednesday after school for a hike through the new recreational trail system. Parents and siblings come along, which was what Gwarjanski hoped for when the club idea surfaced.

The club is finishing up its second winter, but this is the first with a new, 2-mile trail system. Volunteer members of the Minot Recreation Committee established the trails over a four-year period and held a ribbon-cutting celebration back in October. A path from the school connects with the town’s ball fields, which serve as a trail head for the maze of trails.

Kids bring snacks and water for their winter treks and stop at each trail junction to munch while sitting in the snow.

“(Kids) love it,” Twitchell Pray said. “They complain while they are doing it, but they always come back the next week.”