Heidi on Vashon

I think three times this year I've swum up the Northeast chunk of the island to land at the Wild Mermaid. It is the sweetest reward to emerge onto the boat ramp, peel off the wet stuff, and take my bedraggled self in to Adam and Megan's joint for a delightful pastry and hot cup of coffee.  Me, Jenna after her first time on this swim, and Amy Amy Rebecca Mary Shemeta on SUP, Rebecca in foreground Jenna, victorious. "Lotta dark thoughts," she said. Our route. We ended up cutting the coast and let me tell you, that water is DEEEEEEEP. This swim route is cake when you swim it as a coastal, but the tides were against us and you really feel that head current in the deep water. It felt like forever getting to Dolphin Point, where you make the final big turn. This whole swim was work. On a prior swim with Lise of this same journey, we hugged the coast and had a much more favorable tide. The whole inlet after Glen Acres is Muckleshoot oyster...

When my friend Michaela moved to Minnesota, I thought I'd never see her again. I had no plans that called for a midwest visit, until of course she told me about this swim! I cashed in my air miles, booked the swim and a room in Bayfield, and soon enough August arrived.  I am so used to West Coast topography. The FLATNESS of the land was disorienting to me. After my airport pickup, Michaela introduced me to Lindsay and the three of us road-tripped to Bayfield with an overnight in Duluth. Walleye is a thing in these parts. A peek of the finish part of the course, from a bluff. Successful finishes for all of us. 1 hr 8 mins is not nearly my best but it's fine for a new course.  This was a 2.1 mile crossing. People in Bayfield are very nice. My favorite part of the trip, after the swim, was a kayak night tour chartered with Rustic Makwa Den. These are the Red Cliff Band of the Chippewa, and they are casual and funny guys who really love their lands. Troy was...