Other than a pool, I'm never comfortable in freshwater.
Just seems strange.
I don't want it in my mouth or up my nose.
And the though of leeches are always in the back of my mind.
Can you relate?
1 As kids we used to catch leeches and use them for bait. Better than worms because they had tougher skins and didn't tear as much.
2 Wading on the shore in a lake near Santiam Pass, saw some tots playing in the water and scooping up detritus, rocks, etc. Go over to the watchful mom with a rock that I pulled up right in front of her and showed her the leeches on the underside and said when your kids get out, that it would be wise to check them. She freaked out way more than was necessary. Sorry about that, kids, I know it was a hot day.
3 Was strolling around trails with Sweetie-pie in
Guy Fawkes wilderness. When we get back to car, pulled about a dozen leeches off me, double that on her. I thought her anger about being tastier than me was unfairly projected and from then on, decided to never again propose that bittering agents in hoppy beer that I had previously enjoyed the night before might actually have greater protective properties than anything found in delicious fermented grape sqeezings.
4 Are amoebas in still, warm, water more deadly than leeches?
5 Swam across the Willamette river many times as a kid. For my first swim across, Larry and I swam to Ross Island from
Willamette Park. Port of Portland patrol picked us up when we were halfway back and dropped us off. Told us to use floatation next time. Perhaps being downstream from
Crown Zellerbach poisoned them all or the carp got them, but never found leeches there.
6 Swam in many of the waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge, including the
Multnomah Falls (the pool under the lowest falls) as well as Silver Falls State Park. I never found any leeches in them and thought the high O2 concentration might not be optimal for them...or maybe it was the current or lack of detritus.
7 Ah, University Falls in the Sierra is closed....man, what a great place before it got over-run. Seemed like the year melt would clear out the leeches, well, the weak ones anyways.
8 Used to go to this reservoir when attending university.....good times....may be better without sound, but if you enjoy utterly bland milktoast softporn 'easy listening', well, turn it up!
9 Swam once in Crater Lake...super clear, non-eye stinging, but instant the ice cream headache after the leap in meant I could only make the leap 4 times.
10
Yeah I gotta say deep mountain lakes like Tahoe and Chelan are pretty great to swim in.
You stay at Stehekin Valley Ranch? Can recommend for family fun and good rest stop spot for Pacific Crest Trail types. I totally loved their all you can eat breakfasts.
11 There is a hot spring lake in the Alvord Desert that is slightly fizzy. Cool on the edges, but further out and the deeper it gets,, the water get darker and it gets more fizzy and warmer too. The fear there is sudden outgassing due to tremor or blast of much hotter water. We wished we had brought fresh water to rinse off with aftwards.....not as bad as after swimming in Mono Lake or Salt Lake, but getting there.