On a recent cloudy morning, I carried my inflatable stand-up paddleboard a block and a half from our Old Town apartment to the C Street dock. Setting it gently on the water, I started on my knees, stood up and took off. Suddenly I was gliding through the silvery water as though I’d paddled yesterday. […]
swimming
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Lagoon Challenge
It was a cotton cloak type of fog, reducing visibility to 30 or 40 feet. Donna and I swam this stretch in bathing suits, “skinning it,” without the protection of wetsuits. Ariana looked at us skeptically as she pulled her well-worn neoprene over her long limbs and we eyed each other warily from 10 feet […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Swimming with Otters at Big Lagoon
Blue skies, eagles, osprey, otters — those are the attractions that compel Humboldt caterer Lauren Sarabia to drive up to Big Lagoon and swim three mornings a week. Although as a kid she played in pools in Los Angeles, she didn’t become an open water swimmer until five years ago, when a friend invited her […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Alone in the Fog
I could feel bubbles of panic on the edges of my mind but I forced myself to concentrate on my breaststroke. Arms parting, arms parting. Focus. I knew if I started worrying about hypothermia, exhaustion or the cramping in my right leg, panic would cause me to shake or flail. Focus. Focus. Ten years ago, […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Phoenix Approach
It’s a bummer: My body at 67 is not what it was at 20, 30 or even 40. I’ve had to give up five or six physical activities, and each time I let go, adapting to the new reality is bittersweet. For instance, I started jogging in college and ran consistently into my early 60s, […]
Posted inNews
Ocean Swimmer Dies
A 21-year-old from Tulare died yesterday afternoon after being rescued from the ocean off of Samoa Beach, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. Matthew Bryant Garcia had gone swimming with a friend, and disappeared in the surf, says the release. A passerby called 911 at about 4:30 p.m. In two minutes rescuers were on […]