A Miramichi man is continuing to make traditional snowshoes by hand despite the slow loss of his eyesight.

Rheal Gray began losing his vision about 10 years ago.

Although Gray has been forced to give up many things that he used to love doing because of his declining eyesight, he is continuing to make his snowshoes by hand.

“I'm legally blind. But I can see a little, you know, enough to do this,” he said.

“I can see ... if the sun is out, I sit by the window there. And I can see pretty good, the line that I'm using to lace them,” Gray added.

Gray no longer goes snowshoeing himself anymore because of his dwindling eyesight.

But he said he's perfectly happy to make them for other people who can enjoy a walk in the snow.

When Gray is not making the snowshoes from scratch, then he can be found restringing snowshoes for other people.

Harry Macdonald said he is amazed by how nice his old snowshoes came out once Gray was through with them. He said Gray could determine the type of string to use just by feeling it.