First, I want to show you the water. You can’t always tell in photos how harsh it is. Video is better because it captures the sound, and even the sound is harsh. I usually film the water before I get in, but today I had to wait until I was out of the water and READ MORE
Category: Swimming Experiences
physical experiences, water conditions, weather, gear, what happened in the water
3mm Makes All the Dif
Today at the lake …the Lake Witch is f-ing back. Wow. What a difference a wetsuit makes. I got back in the water today, and tried to rock it. The new gear made all the difference. I was hoping for a calm, flat water day, but I knew before I left for the lake (I READ MORE
Spun Around
Today at the lake it got ugly. For the first time I am starting to doubt that I can keep doing this. The water was so cold. I felt like the back of my head and neck were going to freeze. I’m reading a book on the brain and PTSD, and just last night I READ MORE
Flat Water Better
Today I had my friend, M, bring me to the lake because I wanted to see and hear the water, then go for a walk in the paths and count bunnies. On the way to the park I told her that I might have to give up lake swimming until spring, and that I felt READ MORE
Getting Out is Worse
Today at the lake….I learned that getting out of the water after my swim is harder and way more unpleasant than getting in the water. Today I had two people with me, a swim buddy, and a guy who arrived at the same time. I suggested we all go in together so we wouldn’t back READ MORE
Alone
Today at the lake it was miserable. Cold, grey, and wet. I thought it was drizzling, but when I left my house I realized it was actually raining. I didn’t care. First I stopped by the closest beach, just down the road. There was nobody in the water, and two guys just hanging around. I READ MORE
Where am I?
Today at the lake it was dark and a bit ominous. I ran into two women from the swim club on their way out of the lake; they couldn’t have had less interested in talking to me. M thinks they were just preoccupied, but I feel like at least one of them just doesn’t want READ MORE
Snorting
Today at the lake, the sun was shining, Mt. Rainier was peaking out of the clouds (pun), and the water was mostly flat. I had planned to meet a few of the women in the “plunger” group, which required waking up three hours earlier than normal. It was brutal, and no time for tea, but READ MORE
New Water Shoes
Today at the lake it was grey and cold. And windy, so the mini waves made it harder to swim. The water was the coldest it’s every been for me. I usually walk quite casually out to waist- or tit-deep water, then start my swim. Today I had to dive in a thigh-level. It wasn’t READ MORE
Fish and the Precious
So much to report. I have solved the fish mystery. I saw two of them together today. So even if one of them is my guy, he has a friend or sibling or whatever. I also saw a HUGE fish that scared the crap out of me. thick, tall, maybe 18″ long. And, I found READ MORE
One Fish, Two Fish?
It’s driving me a little nuts. I can’t tell if the fish I see every day in the lake (about 4″ long) is the same fish and we’re …like…friends. or if there are several of him/her. I see little inch-long fish, too, but I don’t really care so much about them. Is it weird that READ MORE
Sometimes I Fall on my Butt
Today, I swam in my lake. It’s a huge lake. I look south and see Mt. Rainier. I look north and see other mountains in the Cascade Range, and I see hot air balloons. I am blissfully happy as I breast stroke through the lake (bum shoulder=can’t do crawl), my orange float bag trailing behind READ MORE
I have a huge unicorn floaty!
I haven’t even taken it/her out of the box. Well, I have, and I dragged it to the lake, but I didn’t know that need a pump, like a battery-powered pump, to fill it up. The ten-year-olds said I was still cool for having a unicorn, so I’m good.
Choppy Water
Am I gonna get sick from all the water I’ve been swallowing. Have not figured out how to swim with the waves and movement of the lake water. And then boats go by, and the water gets all messy again.
108 Degrees F
I survived. Went to the lake with Peter.
Totes to Be a Dolphin
I would swim and jump and roll along with my friends. Every minute. Every day.