Saturday morning greeted us with a 39F air temperature coupled with a sustained 10 mph wind from the east. The lake itself was rather restless with 3 to 4 foot swells, but the water temperature came in at a mercifully temperate 56.2F. So given these conditions, the swim was a go!
We waited a bit longer for the sun to show up due to a stubborn cloud bank on the eastern horizon. But once it peeked out over the rim, we had ample sunshine for the entire swim. And it sure helped!
I swam in my usual gear – swim jammers and cap – but I did add a thermo cap on for extra warmth which really made a difference. All in all, though, I was quite comfortable the entire time in the lake.
As expected, the real challenge was getting re-acclimated to the conditions outside of the lake. I didn’t dawdle much for the first 10 minutes because the afterdrop came on quicker than in previous weeks thanks to a very cutting wind. But I had several layers of clothing on as well as a full thermos of coffee to help mitigate its effects.
Overall, we had a great turnout even with the unseasonably cold weather conditions. Even so we are fast approaching the “swim cliff” where we are not likely to see too many people out at the lake until next Spring. But that’s their loss, not ours!
Dawn Skyline
Escaping the cold!
Swim Start
Water level shot
Albert, Lake Monster 393
Hayley, Lake Monster 394
Jeff, Lake Monster 395
Ethan, Lake Monster 396
Today’s video compilation!