Final Sunday Swim and Night Swim
September 22nd
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=7h7fcdN6bWY
By the time everyone arrived this morning we had ten of us ready to enjoy the sunny 12 degree skies and brisk 17.5 degree water. We had four in full wetsuits, John in a triathlon suit giving him some protection, and five of us who swam naked. Monty wore his
floaty pants. When he waded into the lake Steph blurted out "You've got a
shorty!" which caused him to immediately dunk in embarrassment, all the while the rest of us marveled at her X-Ray vision!
After recovering, we took off in glassy water to the Point. Conditions were so gorgeous that eight of us decided to continue to the Painted Rocks where we wistfully said good-bye to the vista for the summer. We returned by swimming through glassy water that
persisted all the way back to the beach. The experience left us all looking forward to our return next year.
While this was the final organized Lake Swim from Juniper Beach, we do still have one more swim in Kal Lake - the Night Swim. This is our traditional sign-off to lake swimming every September. (Notwithstanding the Plunges starting later in the fall.)
As mentioned in previous emails, this year's Night Swim will take place on Wednesday Sept 23rd, one day after the Equinox. We meet in the parking lot at the
Rail Trail Cafe at the west end of Kal Beach at 7:30 pm. The swim goes from there to the Pumphouse and back, a total distance of just under one kilometre. After the swim there will be hot chocolate (with and without Baileys) to warm everyone up.
For safety reasons, everyone must wear at least two lightsticks that we attach through our goggle straps on each side of our heads. The result is that we look a lot like My Favorite Martian (for you oldies who remember). To get you in the mood I have attached
the above song.
I also suggest that you can install a flashlight in a waterproof bag in your swim buddy
in addition to the lightsticks. You are encouraged to use more creative lighting if you wish
as long as your head is well lit and visible from opposite directions. Lightsticks are available at Surplus Herby's in Vernon. I will bring some extras in case you aren't able to secure them by Wednesday. If you let me know in advance I will save them
for you.
With the swim being at night, I anticipate that the water temperature will be between 18 and 19 degrees. I look forward to seeing a whole lot of you there. For first-timers, this will be a unique and fun experience!