Swimming in the “Big Eddy”

Today I spent some time really getting a feel for the Spokane River, then trying to regain feeling in my limbs.

While it isn’t officially a Riverkeeper initiation ritual, I think taking a swim in one’s body of water ought to be.  That’s what I did today, and though the calendar says summer, my core temperature reads anything but.

It wasn’t a particularly beautiful day to begin with, a point the Center’s communications maestro Tim Connor tried making when bringing up the possibility of delaying the field trip until Friday.  But it’s still August, and truth be told, I was more concerned with my own weak swimming ability and slight fear of water depth then I was about a little chill.

So we headed out of the office in the afternoon for a field trip.  Tim, myself and Rick Eichstaedt, bound for the “Big Eddy”, a favorite swimming hole of Tim’s and a location I’ve been dozens of times previously, but further up above looking down from the Downriver Disc Golf Course.  Tim swims there nearly every day and recently he’s encountered large schools of trout – possibly of the Brown or Rainbow variety.

Tim was anxious to show Rick and I the fish, though I was more excited to get more swimming and snorkeling experience since my Montana upbringing didn’t have too many people saying the phrase, “he’s like a fish in that water  isn’t he.”

With the sun playing hide-and-seek in the clouds and the temperature somewhere in the mid 80′s, we put on fins and masks (Rick and I did at least), and made the always difficult initial plunge.  Getting sucker punched in the stomach – that’s about what it felt like.  After about five minutes of acclimating we headed out to the hole where Tim had seen the schools of trout before.

Apparently I was unaware that swimming 100+ yards would take so much out of me.  I reached the opposite bank and caught my breath while Rick and Tim dove around looking for trout.  The sporadic sunshine made seeing them difficult, and the fish were pretty deep anyways, so they only got a few glances.  But Rick did see some and remarked how surprised he was at how big they were.

Lung capacity and muscle willing, I would have liked to have made an attempt to dive down and see the trout.  There’s always next time I suppose.  The best thing about this experience is the realization that who needs pools when something like the “Big Eddy” exists with such easy access.

As I sit typing this my hands are still shivering a bit and I think I’m breathing cold air still, but I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.  I just might take Tim’s advice next time and wait until the temps are in the 90′s.