I must confess my disappointment. I was hoping to get a bunch of open water swimmers showing up at 5:30am this morning seeking their Lake Monster numbers en masse. But apparently the fog scared you all off!
Or was it possibly the 53F lake?
Nick was already out at the newly repaired L1 when I showed up at around 5:25am, and Jonathan and new Lake Monster Barry showed up shortly thereafter. The entire swim area was shrouded in a thick fog, so I didn’t miss out on the sunrise. I took several readings of the lake with my infrared thermometer, and each one came back at 53F (surface).
Nick and Jonathan braved the chilly waters in just their swimsuits and caps, but I went with my De Soto top, neoprene cap, and neoprene foot covers. I actually could have ditched the latter as I wasn’t uncomfortable at all during any part of the swim (which leads me to speculate that the actual water temperature was probably in the 55F range).
The fog intensified on the way back to L1, and a south wind came in that produced a current that you could definitely feel during the swim. I couldn’t really make out the trees or buildings, so I sighted on a single lamppost light that I knew was in the general vicinity of L1.
When I returned to L1, Arthur – our favorite red doberman – greeted me at the ladder. While Nick fought off his afterdrop, we celebrated Barry securing the much coveted Lake Monster #100 designation (yay!).
We were just getting ready to go when Carolyn, a masters swimmer visiting from Colorado, stopped by and got in a quick swim as well – and managed to earn her Lake Monster number in the process!
Barry – Lake Monster #100 (woohoo!)
Carolyn – Lake Monster #101 (congrats!)
Today’s video