The long sun filled hours of summer are coming to an end and rumors of the last days of Lake Superior being warm enough to swim are fading fast.
The windows of opportunity to swim in Lake Superior are short and sometimes nonexistent so when I heard tales that some of the lakes 30 quadrillion gallons of water being in the mid 60’s to low 70’s I had to find out for myself.
I tossed the camping gear in the back of my car and drove the 3+ hours to the East side of the Keweenaw Peninsula. I set up my tent and then set out for a snorkel and a swim a surprising 50 minutes until my bones and joints began to ache from the cold.
Becoming a human solar panel, I recharged and warmed up on the sand under the sun before I made myself a nice dinner that included cucumbers and tomatoes from garden.
As I ate a full moon began to rise up out of the lake where it had been sleeping all day. I started a campfire and watched as the moon and stars filled the sky.
The chortle of Sandhill cranes wakened me to the fact that now the sun was rising out of Lake Superior where it had been sleeping near me all night.
The sun was shy as it started its day surrounding itself in a vapor of fog.
I was not as shy as I forgo a still damp and chilly swimsuit but still wrapped myself in a beach towel I had been using as a pillow and headed out for a morning plunge.
I had not seen or heard another human since I had arrived at the campground so I figured my nakedness would go unnoticed.
I scanned the beach to make sure I still had the place to myself, dropped my towel and jumped in and swam out to meet the sun.
Hunger and cold reminded me that it was time to get out and come up with something for breakfast. I edged myself out of the water and up onto the sand shoreline and tried to shake myself off like a wet dog and that’s when I heard clapping.
I looked up to see a middle-aged couple standing on a grassy bank above the beach applauding and the woman informing me “that is very brave.”
I’m not sure if she meant swimming in the cold water or being naked or both?
I gave a shy wave as I grabbed for my towel and when I looked back up the couple was heading back into the trees.
The rest of my camping trip was less action-packed with just more swimming and snorkeling, reading and napping in the sun enjoying what was left of summer.
