gray and the lake has a heavy swell from the north that will hinder a lot during the swim.
speak of little enthusiasm as we prepare would be an understatement.
The water is even colder than yesterday, the sun can not pierce the clouds, we have only two boats that is the usual accompaniment of my old and dear friend of boat 18 years of age and friends of the Civil Protection Castelveccana.
However, we are preparing and we dive to stop a deal on paper, and already very long.
The only good news is that we expect to breakfast Caldè tripe prepared by the Pro Loco!
begin to move my first swim in cold water coast along a very special, with the old lime kilns and hoppers where the barges were loaded in past centuries.
whole promontory is bordered by the remains of piers, walls, sheds and water slides in the testimony of an old classic activities of the lake. Down the steep underwater walls, though one can see on some ledge of miriophillum long branches.
For a long stretch I do not see even one fish, just like the day before.
After the bank flattens the cape and becomes extremely monotonous, as then remains for almost the entire route of the stage.
Portovaltravaglia Before and after a bad building made of coastal terrace houses with storage for boats and divers invasive tracks, almost all twisted and unusable.
waves do not give us rest and slow down dramatically.
Being only four, we lost sight immediately and so I swim all morning alone, stubbornly resisted by the current, more than 2 ½ hrs.
Not much to tell on stage, only for a distance up the monotonous background of pebbles and stones is enhanced by large rounded boulders, evidently very ancient and deposited by the glacier that filled the lake up to 15,000 years ago.
Even the mouths of rivers create a diversion with the bottom of white sand.
think that we read in ancient geological specimens distracts me but at some point, come in front of the mouth of the river that flows before the beach Bedero I take a great fright: emerges from the shadows in front of me to pass under a carp me at least a half long, this is the fourth that I have encountered over the three years of swimming, the other three within a few minutes in 2007 near Baveno.
Then meeting again several fine specimens of chub, with the livery of green and shaded in the scales clearly visible, and makes me think that, even though they are certainly among the most durable and rugged inhabitants of the lake, if it continues to move forward so for them there will be food only the few remains that our civilization will leave to escape, because of other fish can not see a single one.
The water is very cloudy, sometimes I see ghosts appear as long miriophillum plants, of which I do not see even in the dark water and the basic fact of the CNR with Oggioni confirm to me that this year has found the end of season 5:50 even meters in length, perhaps because this year have grown even more to seek the light in the water always turbid by many storms.
Sometimes I get caught in a tree trunk or a branch and I realize with fright that I collect in a fetal position, uncertain as they are of me, a creature of earth, water milky and cold.
But undaunted and continued to swim to get to the end point before the border between Germantown and Luino.
last part meanwhile has become an interesting underwater landscape and it is a shame not to have a good visibility at that time.
The villas and the houses go back to being the oldest and most beautiful, perhaps because we are close now to Luino, an ancient historical importance, the wall of the lake drops to peak, with houses built impressively on the edge of the fall.
If the lake is emptied believe that the inhabitants were terrified to see the cliff on which they built their old houses! Just one more river that spreads its carpet of sand thin and white, on which roll towards the dark end of the lake ciotoloni stone.
Finally arriving in a beautiful villa, which resembles the aesthetics of the historic Villa Ada Troubetzkoy Ghiffa sculptor, great-grandfather's brother Roberto Troubetzkoy, one of the major players and Longalago VIACOLMARMO and, finally, after more than 2 ½ hrs swimming, I decide it's time to stop.
I know that there are still about 500 or 600 m arrival at the mouth of the river Tresa, bordering Luino, but for now I think I have given enough.
With a little 'me out of trouble I can help on the boat from which they are our companions, Silvia, the medical officer, Daniela, the pleasant company of the formidable Diego and my wife Violante.
I seem more tired than me and I discover that they talked and laughed for 2 h and continuous media and in fact I seemed to see a cloud of condensation over to their boat, when I make sure of their presence reassuring!
boat and I climb in with a little 'shame, traveling by boat the last 300 m.
Susy also cheated a bit 'cards because of the intense cold and she has also gone on a little boat as ever while Diego has already come dressed and groomed, and Paul, however, that was before me only a few hundred meters , he gets to swim all the way to the stage.
When it comes out we find that is numb, the do wear any warm clothing found in our bags for a good half hour but still shaking like a leaf, and we all return along with warm fall fund. There tripe, sausages, wine, pork and the usual compliments that we always exchange for each phase, and this time I earned more than usual cold, waves, current, 7 km in length and no sun, not stopped us!
Ends up the issue LONGALAGO 2008.
We walked 120 km to swim today.
In 2009 we still have 4 long sections, from Locarno to return to Luino, to finish our walk around Lake Maggiore in Italian soil. We hear already
happiness and pride that we will arrive next year in Luino to have completed with grit and determination that will have undeniable adventure involved a lot of sports, now about 50 swimmers, our friends, many administrations, newspapers and broadcasters.
But perhaps we have succeeded especially in the wake of the interest that would have aroused the public, to speak of our lake, deep in his soul, we must respect that if we are living in the future for men and women who will after us.
