Swimmin' Holes

It's one of those perfect summer days and you are hiking a trail. Though it's not oppressively hot or humid, you are sweating more as each mile passes. No matter how much water you drink, it feels like your cells are starved for moisture.

You turn a corner and a new sound begins to tickle your ears, softly at first, then growing louder. It's the sound of water trickling over rocks. Pay attention. Stop. Look around. If you're lucky, you'll find a swimmin' hole or, at least, a pool deep enough to cover most of your tired body.

Even in the driest months, the northeast is blessed with thousands of brooks, streams and rivers, most of which have many swimming holes or plunge pools somewhere along their length. By mid-summer, the water is as warm as it's ever going to get , which means it's usually still cold enough to shrivel and pucker. But it's still the best time of year to stop and get wet and cool.

Swimming holes are the most fun when you work for them. The farther you've pedaled or hiked, the better it feels when that cool water flows over your tired body.

Everybody knows about the "public" swimming holes. Most of these are accessible with only a short walk from your car. There's even a website dedicated to them. 

But the best swimming holes of all are the ones you discover yourself, or get lead to by someone with inside knowledge.

Last summer, for example, a guided mountain bike tour I took on Cape Cod lead to a tiny beach on a beautiful freshwater pond and not a house or another person in sight. Perfect swimmin' hole.

That one was an exception -- a swimming hole actually big enough to swim in. Most are little pools where you just lie back and let the water and the world flow by.

While backpacking and exploring some trout streams earlier in the summer, I followed a little trickle brook and found a wonderful little gravel-bottomed pool below a beaver pond. The pond had warmed the water just enough to make it comfortable to lie in.

Another time recently, near one of the lean-to shelters on the Appalachian Trail, I found a faint side trail leading to a little waterfall pool. The water was so cold, I could only stay in for seconds at a time, but it was a joy on a hot, humid day.

So, the next time you're enjoying yourself outdoors, and you find water, go ahead. Wade in! There is nothing more refreshing than cooling off by soaking your body in water flowing over clean gravel or rocks.

Great Swimming

The best roadside swimming hole I've ever had the pleasure to jump into is in the Mad River, a few hundred yards off Route 100 south of the village of Warren. The water here is clear and cool, just about tolerable on a warm day, the pool itself has a gravel tailout if you want to wade in. It's also deep enough that you can safely dive or jump in from the surrounding ledges. It's a perfect reward if you've just biked over the steep Lincoln Gap road from Bristol.

There are also some wonderfully cool, clear swimming holes on the Ammonoosuc River in New Hampshire. You can walk in a short way from the access road to the Cog Railway, but the best way to enjoy them is from the mountain biking trails maintained by the Mount Washington Hotel. The trail system is open to the public; stop in at the Adventure Center in the hotel and get a map. The last time I rode these trails I surprised a very small yearling bear which ran along the trail in front of me for quite a ways. Maybe he'd just come from swimming.

There are some "public" swimming holes that are a long way from the road. I'm thinking, for example, of Lonesome Lake in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The Appalachian Mountain Club maintains a hut and a swimming dock there, but it's open to anyone willing to walk the 1.6 mile trail from the Lafayette Campground in Franconia Notch State Park.

Then there's Sterling Pond in Vermont, 2.4 miles from the top of Route 108 where it passes over Smuggler's Notch. Beautiful spot to swim.

Be Prepared

Sad to say, but some people are offended by nudity. That means swimmin' hole aficionados have to take into account the feelings of these unfortunates (who have obviously never been to a public beach in Europe.)

I'm all in favor of swimming au naturel. Sometimes I do in true wilderness settings away from roads and trails where it's unlikely that anyone else would wander by. But most of the time, I carry a bathing suit of some sort.

As far as I'm concerned, one of the great inventions of the modern era are the "river shorts" made of lightweight, fast drying nylon, with drains in the pockets, and drawcord waists (so they stay on).

If you aren't wearing 'em, carry a pair in your backpack or bike bag. that way, you're always ready when a swimmin' hole presents itself