Swim Report – October 19, 2008 – Autumn glory

After a week of sketchy weather, I am happy to report that we one again lucked out this morning. I arrived at Ladder #1 just after 7:00am and just in time to catch another awe-inspiring sunrise. One second it was just a bright maroon haze on the horizon, and the next moment – full autumn glory. I honestly can’t understand why anyone would want to sleep through this, but they sure do!

I had forgotten to bring my thermometer, but fortunately Diver Dave and Chris had already scoped out the water temperature. It came in at a scorching 57F, which was a veritable heatwave compared to the 44F air temperature. I opted to go with the full wetsuit and thermo shirt along with the booties and neoprene cap, which proved to be the perfect set up for me.

The lake was mildly choppy, but nothing like the last couple of weeks. I had done my mandatory progressive cold shower so the immersion shock was minimal as well. There was no haze whatsoever in the air, so the views looking east towards the rising sun were nothing short of spectacular. I made the beach landing and got a few peculiar looks from some dog walkers all bundled up in winter parkas. I only spent a few moments outside of the water, but I was starting to get a bit chilled. So I did some sprint swimming for a minute or two when I hit the water, and that made the return swim a lot more palatable.

In short, another fantastic morning a Ladder #1. The Ochoas arrived after a training run, and a couple of them braved the water without a wetsuit. With the colder air temperatures, it was a bit shivery for a while, but the thermos of hot coffee and Barbancourt-laced pineapple sure stoked the furnace!

But you just care about the pics ;), so here they are!

Autumn colors

Daybreak

0 Replies to “Swim Report – October 19, 2008 – Autumn glory

  1. another perfect day at the beach! The sunrise was worth the trip let alone the mile swim and seeing the Ocha family at ladder #1. Stephanie and the girls ran and sweet little Fernanda stayed home to sleep or i am sure she would have jumped into the water. Hopefully next weekend will bless us with some hot sunshine for all to enjoy. thank you again Steve for the juicy pineapple and secret sauce it is great !!!
    diver dave ladder#1 oak st

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *