Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025
Hello Kal Lake Swimmers,
Whew—was it ever hot today!
With Mike away, I shocked the universe by showing up EARLY. I was greeted by Gary, Carol and Tim, who to my surprise, were already ditching their wetsuits and grinning like kids at recess! One by one, swimmers emerged from the scorched trail like overheated mirages, panting, sweating, and mumbling some version of “It's usually hot walking up the trail, but today it was hot walking down"
By 5:22, I reached my limit of the backwards day vibe and the heat. I sauntered down to the water under the noble guise of "checking the temperature" (official reading: somewhere between a lukewarm tea and a tropical lagoon—truly I was just eager to plunge into Kal's cool embrace). Soon, six of us were blissfully lounging in the shallows of Juniper Bay, quietly marveling at the poetic perfection of a complete Naked Swim crew.
Then... we were robbed.
Two neoprene-clad bandits crashed the party, looking suspiciously cool and smug, like wet-suited Batman villains. Just like that, our perfect score was ruined. We gasped. We side-eyed. We judged (lovingly, of course). But really—Mike wasn’t here, so it felt cosmically appropriate.
More swimmers trickled in, and just as we were about to launch, rumors surfaced: someone had forgotten their swimsuit and was spotted sprinting back up the hill. Uphill. In this heat. Naked? Unknown, but the legend has begun.
We regrouped at the Point, where most of the gang carried on to Painted Rock. My arms were still protesting from Saturday's swim so I made the wise (read: lazy) decision to hang back. Just as I was contemplating a mid-lake nap, who should appear but Phred with his phins, gliding in like a fish who’d taken a wrong turn at Hawaii. Then John and I had a brief MSABC meeting (yes, we multitask), before he headed for shore. I floated to the Far Point, watching the sky as smoke billowed from around Commonage Road—nature's reminder that we're not the only hot mess out here. The Painted Rock crew returned, beaming and blissful with the satisfaction of adventure. We all made our way back to shore—refreshed, sun-kissed, and quietly grateful for such a glorious evening.
As towels came out and chatter resumed, I heard a familiar voice pierce the post-swim haze like a motivational TED Talk:
"You know, when I was running in the heat last summer, I thought, 'This is really hard. But I'm training for 50km, so I have to push through.' So Kylie—you’re training for swimming 50km. Get back in the water. Let's go!"
Sigh.
So lap two is was, back to the Point, this time with Marilyn. And while the water felt better the second time, I will also love every salty minute of the Epsom bath I am about to throw myself into.
Here’s to wetsuit rebels, forgotten swimsuits, and the questionable choices we keep making together. Thank you to the dozen who joined in today's swim. Looking forward to cooling off with you all again at Juniper Beach Thursday at 5:30pm.
Cheers from your guest correspondent,
Smiley Kylie 😎💦
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