Last swim of 2005/First Swim of 2006 Weekend

December 30th through January 1st

Lake Lucerne
There was snow on the aLf Saturday morning and the air temperature was a warm(ish) 25°F.
Lake Lucerne
The webcam had power and was back up for the evening's big splash. It captured bottle rocket fire quite nicely on Saturday night in a low level light test. The 15th annual bottle rocket war will be aired live on the 21st.
Lake Lucerne
The final swim of 2005 was started by clearing a section of ice. The snow was over a foot thick and medium heavy.
Lake Lucerne
Holes were then augged close enough to connect them into lines using an ice spud.
Lake Lucerne
The ice was 8 to 10 inches thick and clear as crystal.
Lake Lucerne
The result was a nice 5 by 6 foot hot tub (less the hot).
Lake Lucerne
The Christmas lights gave a warm glow to the surrounding area. The warmth did not penetrate the water at all. We all knew, with the green glow of the webcam's status light, there would be little chance of chickening out.
Lake Lucerne
This was taken just before going under. The lake was very, take-your-breath-away, brisk. The actual time spent under the water was described as "brief". It seemed rather long to me though.
Lake Lucerne
Three went in and three came out. From right to left we were cold, cold, and cold.
Lake Lucerne
The snow was deep, the trees covered, and the water ...aaaaaa... refreshing on Sunday when we had to leave. There are less then 3 weeks until the 15th Annual Bottle Rocket War. Let me know if you plan to attend.


-Nemo