Labor Day Swim 2019- Fort Worden State Park

Every year my friend group and I get away for Labor Day. I've always tried to build a swim into this adventure.  This year was no different.

After last year's experience, leading a strong friend into harsh waters, I was very cautious with where we were going to swim this year.  I scoped out a lake, that ended up having toxic algae, so it was a no go. Then I found a city park, but the beach didn't slope down enough to swim.  In the end I found my way to the Fort Worden State Park.

The beach was ideal for swimming. The drop off is fairly steep, so you can be near shore and in plenty of water to swim. The swim area is mildly protected by the curve of the shoreline out to the light house point. And the temperature, though mildly colder than Alki, was warm enough. The red area on the map below is where I swam. You can see the protection the point gives.

Two of my friends took out an inflatable dingy, in the same water, and tooled around for a while while I swam.  The 10 year old "dunked" but found it too cold to swim.  As you can see, I was all smiles before the swim.

I was able to go for about 40 min. The currents were fascinating, pushing me towards the dock when I was near the dock and towards the lighthouse when I was near the lighthouse. It ended up feeling like I was always fighting the current.

After, I spent time on the beach shooting the breeze with my friends, a great way to cap off a swim!