Craziest thing I've ever done

To tackle my first open water swim. In Lake Stevens. In the pouring rain. In 53 degree weather. The poor teens gettin stoned in the picnic shelter must have thought they scored some really good weed when we splashed into the water. Amazingly, the water was warmer than I expected and it really felt good to find out I could do this.

It reminded me of when my friend Sam and I did our orienteering course for Mountaineers. In winter. In the pouring rain. And I made it to my final marker only 25 ft off, after scrambling two miles through slash piles, dripping forests, and over streams all while navigating only by compass. I learned that if I could do that in such miserable conditions - probably much like it would be in a real-life situation where I'd need those skills - I might actually survive.

So, today's lesson? I haven't died (yet), so I'm in better shape than I thought or I'm really quite good at fooling my body into doing very stupid things.