Wild Waters had it's first vendor debut at the Columbia River Swim, hosted by Visit Hood River, at Cascade Locks. The event was incredible to witness, and there were definitely a few times that I felt like I was missing out on participating in an amazing swim. But, it was a very successful vending opportunity, adding another couple Quackpackers to the flock! I also had the opportunity to take a few photos of the event.
About the Swim:
The swim starts with checking in and being assigned a "flight" with a total of 10 swimmers at Cascade Locks. The groups of 10 are the swimmers who end up jumping into the Columbia together, like a "heat" in pool swimming. After checking in and being assigned to a flight, the group of 10 swimmers gets in line to board the historic Sternwheeler, a symbolic nod to the region’s history.
Once all swimmers boarded, the Sternwheeler travels roughly 1.1 miles away from shore, which isn't actually the opposite shore. The boat crews take care to account for wind, tide, and current, with the goal of keeping the swimming distance the same every year.
Once the Sternwheeler gets out to the launch point, swimmers jump into the river with their flights. This year, there were large swells and frisky chop to contend with, plus a wind the safety paddlers had a hard time battling to stay in place. Although the water temp was pretty warm (69-70 degrees), the windy conditions chilled swimmers in and out of the water. The conditions were pretty rough, and there were a number of swimmers that were pulled onto safety vessels and transported back to shore.
Over 300 people participated, with the youngest swimmer being 11 years old (accompanied by a parent) and the oldest being 80 years old. There were dozens of volunteer paddlers, motor boat and jetski support, and so many on-land volunteers to pull off this historic event (2024 was the 80th year of the swim). I applaud the team who put the event together!
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