Wednesday, September 16, 2020

"Are You Guys Pool Swimmers?"

Next Swims:
            Mon-Fri 6:15 AM and 5 PM
            Sat, Sun 8AM and Noon

Last Swim:  Wednesday 6:15AM
Water Temp:  57.8... but warmer outside the rock pile
Waves:  flat
Clarity:  Nope. Small debris near shore, and a lot of bugs floating on the surface
Kru:  PoolNoodle, Lt. MJ, Showgirl, Dragonfly, Mr. Bubble, two unaffiliated guys
Shore Support:  two unaffiliated guys (mostly), Flipper Guy, and runner-guy in his underwear

The ladies met up in the parking lot, and Mr. Bubble was a late arrival.

Smoke-enhanced sunrise.



Already on the scene, the unaffiliated guys were applying their identical wetsuits, identical barbies, identical caps. Eschewing sand, they made their preparations at one of the benches.

The temperature was a disappointment, to say the least.  PN and I opted for shorter skin swims, and others donned varying degrees of neoprene.

Meanwhile, Unaffiliated Guys brought their gear down and approached the water.  Then they retreated.  Approached again.  Retreated again.  Finally most of us were ready, and headed out.  PN, in a delay tactic, engaged the UG's in conversation.  It was their first time swimming at Lake Michigan.  She tactfully asked, "are you guys pool swimmers?"

It was definitely warmer outside the rock piles, and the water felt cold, but good.  I surprised myself by going past the birches, but the worry-voice in my head nagged at me about going farther in the cold water.  Everyone else went at least to New Mudslide.  I encountered one of the UG's on my return, and the other was lingering inside the rock piles.  

As I dried off, the UG's chatted in the water.  Flipper Guy arrived, asked me the temp, and declined to swim.  

Another guy, a runner, came down, stripped down to his underwear, approached the water, and he, too, declined to enter.

It was as if we, the Klode Kru, had some super power!  Well, no surprise there.  We were imbued with the magic of the lake, at least this morning.




5 comments:

jamie said...

Wednesday night.....60° flat clear. Delightful!!
Mr A.,Patriarch, Brick, We'taco(no produce), Synchro, Diablo, and two swimmers who swam to M/S w/ suits.
The before and after effects of the daily swim needs to be studied!
Get those three lions kahuna professors to study that!!
Not just me...but everyone seems a bit more at ease post swim....god bless the healing waters of that crazy recooperative pond. May she always accept our wrath and return simple inexplicable bliss!! How can we ever pay proper homage and return the good vibes she instills in us?
Damn.....my life is in her debt!

Unknown said...

Hi~
My name is Isabel Rae. I too, swim every morning in the lake :) I have for the past 8 years of my short 23-year life. I love the water.
I read your post every single morning and use your link to access the water temps (even though I will go in regardless).

I swim at bradford as it is only a short bike ride from my apt.
I have been meaning to join you all on a swim (I met Ala one day on the beach of Bradford and she directed me to your page).

I have never wore a wet suit- but rather crave the need to keep my breathing slow and controlled to push me through my cold swims.

How late in the year will you swim? I usually swim until the end of September, sometimes October. 45 degrees is about my limit as of yet.

Perhaps next week I will come by and claim the name, "Skin Rae".

Peace

Wytosk said...

When she unleashes 48F in mid-july we will re-examine this. Or perhaps its like most physical pain in life: very hard to remember it with the intensity it was. Why is THAT? Preservation of the mind? Maybe those beautiful leetle diatoms got in our brains and the prisms make life better. The kahuna lake docs sure seemed happy too.
Got tomaters today.

Dragonfly Riffraff said...

Skin Rae, please join us any time! We will go until...well some continue year round. Looking forward to meeting your bad ass!

Mr. Bubble said...
This comment has been removed by the author.