There are three major reasons we do our swims so early in the morning: 1) We have the lake to ourselves, 2) The sunrises – when visible – are magnificent, and 3) The weather and lake conditions tend to be much more calm during the “golden hours” of 5:00am to 7:00am.
Three of us met out at L1 this morning, including new Lake Monster Andrew, hailing all the way from NYC! The lake was relatively calm and came in at an amazing 60F. Given the ominous clouds coming in from the west, we got in the lake as soon as we could.
The swim to the beach was uneventful except for the REALLY cold patch of water about 30 meters from the shore. The return swim was a bit more of a challenge as a sustained southbound wind had arrived giving us some annoying chops to slog through back to L1.
We finished up and hung out at L1 for about 15 minutes. Cesar and Bob, two regular early morning swimmers during the warmer months, showed up during that time. So I guess it’s official – summer is finally here!
North Avenue Beach at daybreak
L1 pre-swim
Getting ready
Andrew, Lake Monster 166 (congrats!)
Errant beach ball
The storm moves in
Post-swim breakfast!
Today’s video
I’ve been a reader of this blog for years. I’m a competitive Olympic Weightlifter and am recovering from an injury that doesn’t all ow me to squat, hinge or lift anything heavy (I can do it but risk reinjury at present). I’d love to try open water swimming. I don’t have a wet suit but am a fan of cold water dips. I’d love to join you all one AM but don’t want to slow you down and don’t own a wetsuit. Perhaps I can tread water while you all gear-up? That way if I freeze there are unofficial life guards on duty. Suggestions?
Hi Beck. By all means, come on out and give it a shot. The lake temp is now above 65F, so I don’t think you’ll get that cold. We get all levels of people showing up, and there’s no set swim plan or distance requirements. Hope to see you there!