Apocalyptic Sky; Peer Pressure

 Time:  Thursday, May 18 6:00 a.m.

Water:  49

Air: 50ish
Waves: Slight swell
Clarity: Murky mucky stinky tan water
Early shift (skin): Linda the Lamprey, Mr. Anonymous
6 a.m. Wetsuit Kru: Showgirl, Lydia the Tattooed Lady, Dragonfly

Shore Support: Seagulls

Next swims:  12 noon Saturday and Sunday;  tomorrow (Friday) 6:30 a.m.; M-F at 6 or 7 a.m.; weather depending.

For several of us it was the first 6 a.m. swim of the season.  The early sunrise times (5:27 a.m. today) no longer justified the kind of lazy late 7 a.m. start we had been fooling around with.  

It wasn't so much a sunrise today as it was the orange ball appearing like an apparition in a colorless sky, a sight TTL deeemed "Apocalyptic."  

Driving over the Hoan Bridge, I actively planned to just do a brief dip - it was too early and too cold. I prefer the air and water temps add up to at least 100, if not 110.   Announced my intention to TTL in the parking lot, and she looked so disappointed (yet supportive) that I lugged my wetsuit down to the beach, just in case, where I found myself putting it on as we watched Linda the Lamprey cavort at the end of her badass skin swim.  She emerged, not even shivering, to murmur a few words of encouragement.

"Apocalyptic" Sky

Though I started suiting up reluctantly (socks still wet from yesterday), I caught up to Showgirl and TTL and we stepped into the water together.

"See what peer pressure can do," I said.

"And we didn't even have to say anything!" TTL  noted.

We all swam to Birches, about a 1,000 yard round trip.  I was glad I had been talked into a swim, but took hours to warm back up.