It’s still really hot. We weren’t feeling motivated for a dusty, sweaty hike but I did find myself longing for the apocalypse, which meant I needed some kind of nature. Sometimes just sitting on a rock and wading in an icy stream is enough.
It was refreshing and idyllic but also full of flies (you can see one on my knee up there biting me)…I guess that’s to be expected with nature.
It was another big weekend for Getting In The Water: Friday we drove to Idaho to the hot springs we like, which was offering tubing down the Bear River along with hot springs soaking after.
I had never been In The Water in a tube! It was amazing! There were calm spots and some mild rapids, the sun wasn’t too hot and the water wasn’t too cold…
…and we brought snacks and beer!
I think I need more tubing in my life. There are plenty of rivers here in Utah and Doc’s job rents tubes and PFDs, plus he’s on sabbatical soon. Anyone want to join us In The Water?
Clearly I like to Get In The Water but I really, really hate the Olympic swim strokes–mostly because the breathing never clicked for me but also because of my shoulder mobility and not being able to see where you’re going. So this post about Nihon Eiho, the Japanese traditional swimming styles, really clicked for me.
What most people practice as swimming then is the offspring of a completely unnatural environment, devoid of current, waves, salt, lack of visibility, unsure depth and wildlife … The Japanese classical swimming arts are the polar opposite–they are highly practical strokes and strategies, systematically designed to give the practitioner mastery of the natural element. In essence, to give the individual the same confidence they have on land, in the water.
[…] One begins with prone strokes that allow the practitioner to hold their head out of the water, a major difference to modern strokes. Indeed, the Kobori-ryu contains no techniques that take the practitioners eyes away from the objective.
The strokes are then broken into methods of crossing water, whether with, against or across currents, those for speed or those to conserve energy.
There are a few videos in the post showing the strokes in action and they look so natural–there’s barely any splashing. I want to learn this someday … maybe I can win the lottery and take a course in Japan.
It was a big weekend for wading in bodies of water and taking pictures of your foot: We went to Great Salt Lake on Friday night and Millcreek on Sunday. Highly recommend Getting In Some Water for this summer heat.
The temperatures here have been closer to early July than early June, but we found some shade on the way to the Terraces in Millcreek.
There was also a post-hike Get In The Water moment, very refreshing*
*”refreshing” = I couldn’t feel my feet after about 20 seconds. And look how deep the water is! This was right next to shore where it’s usually ankle high in full summer. That big rock behind me was blocking the current but it’s running fast, too.
We took our nephew and went to explore Willard Bay, a reservoir north of Great Salt Lake that none of us had ever been to. Was it the most serene and natural lake? No! Was it fun to hang with the crowds and get a party vibe? Yeah! Plus, it was popular enough there was a place to rent canoes and kayaks:
^ How I would like to spend every weekend this month: neck deep in a body of water.