swimming with the fishes

We drove out to the west desert near Utah Lake this weekend and camped for 3 days with some extraordinary people. Phenomenal experience. We played music and sang around the campfire, hiked through sagebrush and juniper bushes at 2 o'clock in the morning, listened to coyotes yell, avoided several desert scorpions, swam in the lake for hours, went fishing, and saw some of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in a long time. In the end, it was exactly what I needed. Healing.

Though I could go on and on about these beautiful experiences, I can't stop thinking about swimming. The second trip to the lake was mind altering for me in many ways. There were thick storm clouds in every direction and lightning striking every minute, (admittedly not the ideal conditions for an afternoon swim), but swim we did. I decided to go out further into the lake than I had previously swam the day before, until I found myself about a football field's distance from the shoreline. Surrounded by mountains to the east, enduring an increasingly strong current toward the west and pelted by cold rain -I got lost in the magic of the moment. It was then that I made the decision to come back and swim the entire distance across the lake. Completely insane? No doubt about it.

Since our arrival home, I have been able to do a little homework on this new goal of mine. The distance from Pelican Bay (near where we swam) to the Utah Lake National Park in Provo is approximately 6 miles. Needless to say, this tidbit of new information has brought a sense of realness to my goal, as well as the need to take a few extra precautions before I take on the challenge. On a positive note, it seems that I am not the first person to have this idea. I was able to find some stories of others who had gone the distance. Some successful, and some unsuccessful. Regardless, my resolve is strong. I WILL swim across this lake.

I plan to be ready by summer 2012. Feel free to laugh and scorn and call me pretentious. I could use the motivation. Stay tuned, as I will keep you up to date on this and other foolish endeavors. Next up, 22 miles in 2 days: Pfeifferhorn & Lone Peak.



Have a killer day, everyone. Be the change.


(top photo taken by: Corina Koontz,
bottom -photo of my daughter, Scarlett -Utah Lake, July 30, 2011)