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February 25, 2011

The Neopolitan Swim

When I last stopped at the Liard Hotsprings, I had them allllll to myself. Winter is the best time to go to the hotsprings.

It was about -25oC with a slight breeze, which blew all the steam from the hotsprings away. The sky was clear and everything around me was lit up by the brilliance of a full moon.

The main pool in the hotsprings is fed by three sources: a small waterfall running into the pool from springs further up the hill, cold water that's fed by a small underwater cave, and by the hotsprings themselves.

When there's nobody else stirring up water in the pool, the varying water temperatures settle into thermoclines. In the Liard Hotsprings, in the middle of winter, your toes can feel ice cold, your middle perfectly comfortable, the waterline around your chest scalding hot, and your head all nice and frosty-frozen.

I dunked my face into the water and let my body float as best I could. I could feel the three distinct layers along my body, with my face warm and comfortable, a hot ring tracing the outline of my body, and the cool breeze blowing across my back. I have chosen to call this a "neopolitan swim".

If it's something you've never tried, you simply must. It's better than ice cream.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You know you've been spending too much time on Facebook when your first reaction on reading this post is, "It needs a 'like' button." That said -- Neopolitan swim. I like it. :D

Meandering Michael said...

All the smarter blog designs have them. Hmmm... maybe it's time to look for a new blog template!