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An introduction to the Alpine Lakes SWIMBATICAL

What is it? , where is it? And why now?

I’ve always been someone who follows my curiosity — sometimes on impulse, sometimes with a spreadsheet, and occasionally with a level of planning that makes my family nervous. That mix has taken me to some odd places over the years: running across deserts, cycling across countries, and swimming through channels, lakes, and straits that most people sensibly admire from dry land.

I never set out to “collect” challenges. They just kept appearing — the English Channel, Lake Zurich, the Strait of Gibraltar, Catalina, Manhattan Island, Lake Constance, the Sea of Galilee, Bonifacio, Windermere, and a long list of swims that started with “it might be fun if…” and ended with “well, that was bigger than expected.”

But lately, I’ve felt a different pull. Not towards something harder — just something… deeper. Slower. More creative. More curious.

So I’m taking a break from the desk and heading off on a SWIMBATICAL — a season of lakes, travel, sketching, filming, swimming, and seeing what happens when I stop rushing from one big thing to the next.

It’s not a race.

It’s not a record attempt.

It’s just me, wandering around Europe with goggles, a notebook, and a slightly over‑packed vW camper for a season of lakes, creativity, and intentional adventure.

Travel, swim, sketch, film, write.

If you enjoy quiet adventure, open water, creative projects, or simply watching someone enjoying life one lake at a time, you’re very welcome to follow along.

This is MYSWIM.

And This is the My SWIMBATICAL.

Let’s see where it goes.