recreational amphibianism: where to go?

June 10, 2009 5:41 AM

I want to go on a grand adventure, a multi day hike/swim - eg Hike half a day, swim across lake, hike a bit more, swim out to an island, hike and repeat..etc. warm water, health environment, lots of short length water crossing (say 200m) and some longer (1 km) are good. sharks, crocodiles, parasites and icebergs are not. Where in the world is it possible to do this?

I want to go on a grand adventure.

I am imagining a long multi day hike,
with sections where I pack everything into a waterproof bag on a tether and swim - perhaps across a lake, perhaps to an island, then walk for a while, then swim , repeat, repeat

warm water, health environment, lots of short length water crossing (say 200m) and some longer (1 km) are good.

sharks, crocodiles, parasites and icebergs are not.

Where in the world is it possible to do this?

The ideal swimming distance would be about 1 km, i don't want to have to swim too far on my own with luggage in tow.



I have been combing the globe with google earth, but I can't find anywhere to do this.

I found some possible islands in japan, but they a bit far out to sea and sharky to swim without a cage and support crew
I found some lakes in northern australian, but the local water authority thinks they might be a bit crocodiley.
There are some good lakes north of Winnipeg, but that sounds really cold. is it?

its a big planet, there must be somewhere,
relatively warm, and relatively free of large predators, tropical parasites, pollution and heavy industry and busy commercial shipping lanes, maybe a river delta?
Walking with lots of river crossings might be an option if there was actual swimming, not just wading.

island hopping in a freshwater system free of crocs and bullsharks would be perfect, does this happy place exist?

any suggestions?

posted by compound eye to travel & transportation (17 comments total)

whoops, typos... obviously i meant healthy environment
posted by compound eye at 6:00 AM on June 10

Malta is a place I have always dreamed about. There are swim tours from island to island, and I imagine that you could get some hiking in.

The downside is the hot weather, I suppose.
posted by Danf at 6:02 AM on June 10 [1 favorite has favorites]

Here is a list of tours. You obviously would not need to do a tour, but those locales may very well provide what you are looking for.
posted by Danf at 6:08 AM on June 10

To the extent you are willing to let a river be your guide, crossing and recrossing it, and 5 tributary streams that feed into that river from the eastern side of the deepest canyon system in North America, east of the Mississippi, Little River Canyon National Preserve, in northeast Alabama, near Fort Payne, could certainly fulfill your wish. It is rugged hiking, however, to a deep canyon bottom to follow the river, and the river can rise quickly in inclement weather. More than a 1 day hike to cover the complete 13 mile length of the canyon, from Little River Falls to the mouth of the canyon. Some black bear and wild hogs are in the area, along with occasional copperhead and cotton mouth snakes to be aware of, and the usual ticks and mosquitoes you'd find in any North American wilderness setting, but beyond that, nothing too intimidating. Many beautiful pools along the main river, plus some gargantuan rock falls, and lots of trees and vegetation make it a spectacularly beautiful place in the fall, especially.
posted by paulsc at 6:11 AM on June 10 [1 favorite has favorites]

You could try planning your trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The water is pretty darn cold even in the height of summer. Most people canoe through lakes with portages/hikes as a necessary evil, but if you were careful about how you planned your route, you could probably find a great adventure. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to.
posted by advicepig at 6:59 AM on June 10 [1 favorite has favorites]

This is a popular thing to do in Italy - the swimming is amazing, the water warm and benign, but it's usually not island to island, just along the coast from village to village (e.g. in the area of Maratea south of Naples) and therefore not really wilderness, but still very beautiful, and you'd get to places most people can't - though there is a lot of pleasure boat traffic. The only natural hazard are small jellyfish, which are pretty easy to spot and avoid, and sea urchins on the rocks, ditto.
Oh yeah, Danf's list has the Maddelena Islands in N. Sardinia - that area is just stunning and might fit your criteria (the water is so clear, and the islands usually uninhabited) , although again quite a few boats which could prove hazardous out in the open water between islands.
posted by Flashman at 7:10 AM on June 10

Finland. Yep, the water will be cold.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:41 AM on June 10

There are some good lakes north of Winnipeg, but that sounds really cold. is it?

Well, it is right now. (I overturned in a canoe a couple of weeks ago and it was pretty frickin' cold!) But it won't be in July or August, at least by Canadian standards. I've never heard of anyone doing a combo of swimming and hiking, except to go for a dip at the end of the day of hiking. Something like this might be possible where there's a canoe route and a hiking trail together, because you could follow the hiking trail for a while, then swim out to a canoe campsite on an island. You might want to look at the Mantario trail and canoe route, see where they meet, and where there are island campsites. Note that most hiking trails in Manitoba are serious wilderness, where any outside assistance is likely to take a few days to reach you, so you do need to be prepared before undertaking something like this. There are no crocodiles to worry about, but you do need to store your food properly and clean up after yourself, to not attract bears.
posted by teg at 7:42 AM on June 10

This would be possible in some of the Cyclades. I was just in Santorini, for example, and there are 3 islands nearby, one being a small dormant volcano, one having a small hot springs, and a slightly larger one with a few small towns on it. The only downside is that there's not a lot of hiking, since the main island is mostly traversed by roads.

But this is just an example. I'm sure there could be another one that would suit you better.
posted by JauntyFedora at 7:43 AM on June 10

wow,
i am getting my mind blown
this is good
posted by compound eye at 8:06 AM on June 10

growing up mostly in australia, i have acquired
i have a healthy respect for sharks and crocs.
Are sharks not such a big deal in the mediterranean then? would it be foolhardy to do these island to island swims without a support crew? I've done ocean swims in australia, but there was always a few hundred of us in the water and vigilant observers in nearby boats.
posted by compound eye at 8:12 AM on June 10

shark risk is non zero
but not seas of red teeth either
posted by compound eye at 8:21 AM on June 10

all these answers are so good!
everybody gets to be best answer today
posted by compound eye at 8:22 AM on June 10

Another place you should check out are the slot canyons in Utah and Arizona. I've only done the Subway hike in Zion National Park but it fits a lot of your requirements: some hiking, some swimming, some adventure, fresh water, no pollution, no tropical buggies to leave you shivering with malaria. You get to lower yourself down a waterfall.

The water is runoff from snowmelt and the bottom of the canyon is dark, so the water itself is chilly, but the ambient humidity is very low so you dry fast in between the swimming sections. I highly recommend it, and it gets you to Zion National Park, which is well worth the trip.
posted by ambrosia at 9:08 AM on June 10

2nding the Boundary Waters lakes region between the northern US and Canada. I did a 2 week canoe trip here one summer and it was really awesome. A typical day looks like:
Wake up, break camp
Load the canoes up (2 Packs and 3 people to a canoe), paddle across the lake
Get to the other side, 1 person takes a heavy pack each and 1 person takes the canoe
Portage to the next lake, usually between 50-500 yards away
Pick fresh blueberries
Repeat 6-8 times

Only downside is the unholy mosquito swarms at dusk/night mean you can't sleep outside.
posted by spatula at 11:36 AM on June 10

These are all fantastic.

Any southern hemisphere suggestions?

I know somewhere in new zealand there must be a ninety-four year old woman who remembers having to hike swim hike swim two hours each way to get to school each day
(and who still does it every saturday to go buy tea and sugar (she grows everything else))
posted by compound eye at 4:42 PM on June 10

Any southern hemisphere suggestions?

Abel Tasman national park in New Zealand might do the trick.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 8:04 PM on June 10