Bellingham, Washington has captured our hearts on this trip. The town is charming and the location is gorgeous: Green and lush, surrounded by mountains and the stunning waters of the Puget Sound.

There is an active open water swimming community here and I’ve been following their adventures on Facebook since early this year when I thought I might visit. So I was excited to finally be here and join them. Pulling up to Marine Park, I was immediately struck by the serene scene in front of me: blue-gray water, a pebbly beach scattered with driftwood, mountain ranges in the distance. 

Nine swimmers came out this morning and, as seems to be the case wherever I go, they were a friendly crowd. The water temperature was 46.4 (8 degrees c), warmer than the air—I had to scrape frost from my window this morning—but the sun was shining.

Like yesterday, it was a challenge to get into the cold water, but within a couple of minutes, I was infused with a profound sense of well-being. I know I go on and on about it, but I just can’t get over how good it feels to be immersed in cold water; it brings me entirely into the moment, whatever I’m worrying about melts away and I am just a body surrounded by beauty.

It was a relaxed, floating swim, a chatting with interesting people swim. I didn’t go very far, nor very fast, but it felt incredibly good.