The general consensus of this morning was that it was one of the coldest – if not the coldest – swim outing we’ve had since we’ve been doing this…
By the time we arrived at MSW, the west wind had picked up considerably, bringing with it some snow flurries to add to the fun. Nick had measured the lake temperature before we showed up, and the official reading came in at a bone-cracking 32.5F. We were already mostly suited up, so we quickly donned our gloves and hoods and trotted out to the ladder since our hands were already getting numb – and we hadn’t even gotten in the water yet!
I climbed down first and got in right away – and it was a pretty rude awakening. The water temperature was about even with the air, and we had that nasty west wind in our face right from the start of the swim. So I just buried my face in the icy waters and pounded out swim strokes.
Nick and Mike blazed past me, and I caught up with them by the lighthouse. I shot a quick video and stuffed my camera down the front of my wetsuit – which let in a torrent of very unwelcome 32F water. We all turned back, and – being the slowest of the three – I got to watch from a distance as Nick and Mike finished up and absconded the chilly lake in favor of their warm cars.
I finally made it to the ladder and snapped off a few more shots before trudging back to the parking lot. Once there, the deep freeze really set in as the wind intensified to a hearty gust that blasted us non-stopas we changed out of our neoprene in the unprotected parking lot.
Nevertheless, we survived the ordeal and bested the lake once again. And I’ll take a half-mile in this hell over a boring pool workout any day of the year!
Yet another strange adventure out at the lakefront…
Mike and I rolled into the park by Montrose Beach just before 8:00am, and something just didn’t seem right. A “German Shepherd” out in the park was running around without a leash, and it had a strange looking tail. Turns out it was a coyote! While we stood there gawking, it nonchalantly trotted past the car and down the road (probably in search of the even more elusive Midwest species of road runner).
Here is a pic and video clip:
After this brief encounter, we checked out the MSW swim area. I had to navigate through some treacherous snow on the steps down to the lakefront, but the lake itself looked just prime for swimming. Unfortunately, the rungs of the ladder were completely encased in ice, and I did not have a hammer with me to de-ice them (my bad)!
So since it was just the two of us, we shifted our geographic target farther north and decided to check out Tower Road Beach up in Winnetka. When we arrived there, we were relieved to find the narrow, downhill road mostly bereft of ice and snow. So we parked the car, geared up, and headed out to the lake.
The beach at this location drops off very close to shore, so we didn’t have to wade out a long distance to get into swimmable water. We did a fairly quick north-south swim parallel to the beach – about 1/2 mile total – and the clouds burned off mid-swim giving us a nice, blazing sun right in our eyes during the return leg.
Overall, we were quite comfortable in our winter swim gear – with the exception of our fingertips. They started to get cold as soon as we left the car and got exposed to the 20F air temperature. However, once we got in the 33F lake, they “warmed up” a bit and didn’t really start to squawk until the latter part of the swim.
And once again, we had to make do without a “recovery tent” out in the parking lot!
Lots of snow out at MSW!
January skyline
Iced ladder
Tower Road
Smooth and clear swim area!
Our new system for quick and efficient gear removal:
Nick, Mike, and I met at Montrose South Wall for a Sunday morning swim, and we lucked out with crystal clear skies and a calm lake. The lake temp at 8:00am came in at 33.8F per Nick’s fancy new digital thermometer. The air temperature started at around 28F but warmed up to match the lake by the time we finished. We also had a number of spectators stop by the lakeside to check us out. I wonder why?
MSW’s version of L1
Nick and Mike pre-swim
Nick and Mike with the skyline (and jetliner!) in the background
Mike and I snuck out to Gillson Beach for a mid-morning swim. The sun was out in force, and the wonderfully calm lake came in at a refreshing 35F. The days are getting longer, and Spring is just a few short months away!
We sure lucked out this morning. The wind forecast called for up to 10mph gusts, but the lake was quite calm out at the south wall. The lake temp came in at 35F with the air measuring a balmy 31F. Plus, we had a fantastic sunrise that helped warm things up in the water.
Nick, Dave, Mike, and I did and out-and-back to the lighthouse, and the only challenges we ran into were some cold fingertips during the last half of the swim. But the neoprene held out, and we were otherwise quite comfortable in the lake.
I’m really bummed about not being up in Chicago during the holidays. After all, I’ve already missed out on at least one really cool lake swim. So I have had to make do with Key West until I return later this week…
Here is Dave, Nick, Mike, and Joe out at MSW for the first OWC winter swim of 2011 – 2012. It was an awesome sunny day for a swim, and Joe earned the much coveted Ice Monster designation. Great job, Joe!
Winter officially arrives in four days, so we thought we’d get in one last autumn swim before the solstice – and we’re really glad we did!
The lake temperature came in at a crisp 35F – 38F according to the readings on two separate thermometers. However, the lake – while certainly bracing – was actually quite tolerable throughout the swim. This definitely matched our perception of the air temperature as well. We had estimated that to be in the 37F range. But according to the Weather Network, it was much closer to 32F!
In retrospect, it’s quite obvious why we overestimated both. The clear morning skies and abundant sunshine had a definite warming effect on the neoprene. Plus, we had very calm waters and no wind whatsoever – which was quite a contrast from last week! So if you were ever curious enough to give cold water swimming a shot, this would have been the ideal day to try it out!
Mike and I made it out to Gilson Park’s beach earlier today for a quick swim. For some inexplicable reason, I kept referring to it as “Gilford Park” in the video. I blame it on the fog of a still-present head cold.
The lake temperature came in at 37F – 36F, but the air was a scorching 48F. You all missed out!
I woke up with a nasty head cold, so I opted out of this morning’s swim. Dave, Mike, Nick, and Matt all made it out to Montrose Beach, though, and braved the season’s first sub-40F lake temps! Per Dave:
IT WAS ANOTHER COOL SWIM FOR THE 11TH OF DECEMBER. THE WATER ON THE SOUTH WALL OF THE HARBOR WAS 37 DEGREES AND 1 1/2 FOOT WAVES AND CHOP… I MENTIONED THAT THE BEACH MIGHT BE FLAT DUE TO THE LIGHTHOUSE WALL SO WE SWAM THERE. THE WATER AT THE BEACH WAS STARTING TO SLUSH OVER A LITTLE BUT THE WATER WAS NEAR PERFECTLY FLAT. ON OUR WAY BACK TO THE CAR SOME HARD CORE BIRDERS WERE ALL EXCITED THAT WE SACRED UP A RARE SNOW OWL FOR THEM TO PHOTOGRAPH. MIKE NOTICED THAT THE WATER NORTH OF THE LIGHT HOUSE WAS REALLY ROCKING BUT OUR SWIM AREA WAS CALM. AFTER DRYING OFF WE DUG INTO A VERY JUICY PINEAPPLE ! ITS TOO BAD YOU HAD TO MISS OUT STEVER…
