Spring was running about two weeks behind schedule this year, but it caught up pretty quickly judging by yesterday morning!
In recent weeks, we haven’t experienced the lake temperature surge that signals the turnover. Instead, we’ve been stubbornly holding court in the low 40Fs thanks to some ongoing weather patterns that were more Winter than Spring. Fortunately, it looks like we’ve finally turned the corner for good this time!
I suspected a change in the lake temperature as soon as I got to L1. The water was quite calm, and it no longer had that murky green color that we’ve been seeing since December. Instead, it had a bluish tint with a level of clarity that has been missing for quite some time (a very good sign!).
Before plopping in my pool thermometer, though, I had to take out my beach towel and waft it around quite vigorously. The reason for this was that the area was beset with large swarms of mayflies who had all decided to congregate around our swim spot and who seemed to take an immediate liking to my open cup of coffee.
Once I managed to clear some air space around L1, I got a surface temperature reading and had to do a double take since the initial mercury reading came in at a fiery 54F. The reading stabilized over the next few minutes, eventually settling at 52F – still quite unexpectedly balmy!
Given the higher lake temp, the calm water, the intense sunshine, and the lack of any clouds or wind, I went with just my neoprene jammers and hood and ditched the gloves, booties, and top.
Getting in was a bit more bracing as my torso was now completely exposed to the colder water. However, the shea butter I had slathered on seemed to temper the cold quite nicely, so the swim itself was quite tolerable.
I swam to the 1/4 mile point and made an executive decision to do 1/2 mile – but a point to point route. So I continued swimming south until I landed at Oak Street Beach.
My first official beach landing of 2018 was quite an experience! By the time I reached the beach, the sun was out in full force, and there were several other early morning beachgoers already hanging out there enjoying the perfect Spring morning. So I took a few shots of the lake and the skyline before heading back.
I felt a bit of an afterdrop kick in during the walk back to L1, but it was very mild and short lived thanks to a a clear morning and a 61F air temperature.
When I got back, some of the others had gotten back into the lake for another quick swim – this time shedding all neoprene. And while there was certainly a bit of discomfort involved, this ritual served as a rather emphatic reminder that Old Man Winter has finally thrown in the towel and won’t be pestering us for quite some time!
Sunrise
Mayflies
At the beach
Post-swim swim
Swim video compilation