The Fresh Aspect

Sunday morning, phone rings..it's Winston, he's already up and has checked the wind speed and direction...it's blowing SW@26 knots on the other side of the lake. Things are looking slightly more promising than the night before. Because all of the open lake buoys are down for the winter, we rely on realtime wind data and computer models that usually manage to predict the swell. Winston is persuasive and gets Liam who is hungover and has had a couple hours of sleep, out of bed over a cryptic phone call. Coffee, rice pudding...2 hour drive to up the shore. Warm...its just above zero, seriously balmy for January 6th. Gear up and hike in 20 minutes through shin/knee deep snow. Sweating like a mad man in my wetsuit by the time we reach the beach. Things are looking way better than expected. The three of us surf shoulder high rights and lefts with the occasional head high set for 3 1/2 hours. Foggy day, snow covered hills, ravens swooping and waves chattering. (According to the GLCFS nowcast the waves should have peeked at about 8 feet.). Do the hike again, chill out by the truck, drink some tea, refuel the body and then drive home through pea soup-tick fog to some fresh venison stroganoff. Body is tired, mind is clear. stoked.

Liam droppin in- January 6th, 2008.