Sadly it’s our last morning in Victoria. I went for a sunrise swim so that we’d have time to say our goodbyes to Eliza and catch the morning ferry.

Clouds hung heavy and gray in the sky so the sunrise wasn’t very dramatic, but the subtle shifts in light and color were beautiful nonetheless. It was very very cold. Spectacularly cold. After hemming and hawing while getting in, I soon felt glorious. I’m going to miss this cold water when I return to the regular cold of home. 

Murders of crows flocked the beach, creating a dramatic accompaniment to the splash of the water as I swam. Again, I marveled at the clarity of this water. It feels so clean and fresh. One of the benefits of the cold perhaps? 

When I first got in the beach was empty and so I swam along the shore. But while I was in, a small group of people arrived and got into the water, including the lovely woman, Catherine who I met online back in January and who first told me about this beach and its early morning dippers. 

I got out after fifteen minutes, not wanting to overdo it. Like the first day, I felt I could stay in forever, but didn’t trust that feeling. In fact, the very act of thinking it made me suspect my brain was freezing over. In any case, I got out, went home to say our sad goodbyes, and hit the road.

We were the last car on the 10:30 ferry to Port Angeles (silly us forgot to make a reservation) and managed to make it all the way past Eugene, OR. It was a LONG drive (which is why I’m only posting this at the end of the following day) and I’m grateful for starting it with a swim!