The Patriarch and I arrived at Klode this morning under grey skies, drizzle, temps in the low 60s and a brisk east wind. The thunder of waves could be heard crashing into the Klode beach rock piles. ...certainly not a very pleasant morning for a swim.
Hesitantly we peered over the bluff and saw the lake surface lined with impressively sized white capped serpents. Reluctantly we turned around and slowly walked back to our cars...agreeing that it would not be wise to venture out for a swim in such turbulent conditions.
Before we could climb back into our cars our optimism took over. Perhaps the seas weren't as rough as they appeared from the bluff? As there was only one way to find out for sure we agreed to venture down to the beach to find out. We arrived at the beach amazed to find the surf was actually a lot rougher than it appeared from the bluff. The waves were enormous, washing clearly up to the tree line…certainly swimming in such conditions would be completely insane!
So we turned back and somberly walked back to the stair case….bummed was certainly an understatement. As we took the first few steps up the stair case we both could could hear the Lady of the Lake calling out to us….'Wimps!' The expression on the Patriarch's face turned as instantly as mine…with a big grin on both of our faces we unanimously agreed…we're not wimps….let's go play!!
So that we did…. Tucking our gear behind the tree line and pulling our swim caps over our heads we marvelled to each other…"we must be completely nuts!" Arrg…that we are! …and with crazed smile on our faces we CHARGED towards the lake.
This turned out to be one of those occasions where I would have loved to have had a video camera. As the Patriarch and I rushed into the lake determined to respond to the challenge presented by the Lady of the Lake we were suddenly both knocked backwards onto our asses as the first wave completely pummelled our charge. It was absolutely hilarious…with a stunned grin on his face the Patriarch proclaimed…."so that's how you want to play!" We picked ourselves up and proceeded back into the lake….this time with a little more resolve.
....to be continued....
...and now, the conclusion....
Determined to conquer the challenge presented by the Lady of the Lake we jumped over, dove through and swam over the waves. After a few fun filled minutes we finally succeeded to get past the first sand bar approximately 20 feet from shore. The second sand bar was just a bit ahead about 50ft....do we dare attempt to venture out to it? The waves crashing over the second bar were very impressive, essentially dwarfing us....when you're standing in 4 feet of water and see a wave measuring another 4-5 feet about your head it's easy to become intimiated. But with visions of the Hawaii-Five-O intro dancing through my head....both the Patriarch and I were determined to play.
A wise man once said "if you can't beat them....join them!" So rather than attempt to conquer the waves pummelling the second sand bar we decided to ride them in to shore.....or shall I say, body surf. Oh what fun!!
Despite the temptation to play all day...we did decide to officially log a swim this morning. The water temp was perhaps in the mid-to-upper 60's, the water clarity was non-existant, the relentless waves measured 4-6ft and the current was swift from the north. As we attempted to swim north it was as if we were in an endless pool. (No lie!) Out of concern that we'd be propelled back into the Klode north beach rock pile we swam along the first sand bar so that we could stand when ever we felt as if we were making negative progress....or after being pummeled by a wave.
It took about 5 minutes of strong swimming but we finally managed to reach the drain spout approximately 75 meters from north beach. The trip back....took just seconds....what a rush!
Reluctant to exit the water this morning we surfed a few more of the waves before finally calling it a swim.
Future swim plans? ...currently uncertain. The Patriarch will be out of town for a few days and I will be in Madison until Monday evening for the Ironman. We hope to resume our Lake Michigan Swim Adventures next Tuesday.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment