by Justin Fricke, aka the JustinTheWeekendWarrior
The start of summer means it’s time to splash down and cool off. Where’s the best place to take a nice dip to cool off and relax? We’ve already read why a lake is a better swimming choice than a pool. But what about a river or the ocean?
Over the next 3 weeks I’ll talk about 3 different scenarios and determine which swimming destination is the best. For this week, here are 5 reasons why I’d pick a river over a lake to go swimming. Before I go any further, I’d like to put a disclaimer that when I’m talking about a river, I’m talking about the kind where there are no boats allowed. That just wouldn’t be smart swimming in the middle of a river where boats are flying around as well.
- More relaxing: What can be more relaxing that floating down a river in an inner tube? Exactly, I can’t really think of anything else either. When it comes down to choosing between floating in place in a lake or floating down the river, sipping on a cold drink, I’m picking the river. And, of course, there are lots of perfect places to hang your hammock .
- No boats: Like I mentioned earlier, in these rivers there aren’t any boats you have to worry about. No boats means less noise and less chance of getting hurt.
- Go waterlining: Waterlining is essentially the same as slacklining , but over water. Since a lake is bigger and wider than a river, you really can’t go waterlining. As long as you find the narrow part of the river and a couple of sturdy trees, you can set up a waterline and have hours of fun walking back and forth over the water. Or, realistically, falling in a bunch.
- Water is always flowing: As I mentioned earlier, a river can be nice to float down. But it also provides a peace of mind because it’s constantly flowing. For instance, amoeba thrive in warm stagnant water that’s above 80 degrees F. While amoeba is essential to the environment because it helps contain the algae growth, humans still have to be observant since it can at times be harmful to us if we get it inside our bodies.
- More opportunities for adventure: Some rivers can go on for miles upon miles. The longest river in the world, the Nile , is a whopping 4,130 miles long! This leaves a lot of opportunity for explorations as you float/paddle down river in your tube, canoe, or kayak.
