The pond alternative…
Hi everyone!
Thanks for all the positive feedback on the water temperature sign at 27 Fishermans. After a week or so of measurements, it’s clear that there is a good deal of variability over the course of a sunny day, depending on the course of the tide and other factors. I’ve found that the temperature invariably goes up two to four degrees from the morning measurement. So, what I started doing is posting an “aspirational temperature” that’s slightly higher than what you’d experience around 7:00 AM. Call it looking on the bright side!
Some days, though, it’s just too daunting to consider a bayside swim. If you find it too cold, too wavy, too windy or too cloudy to take the plunge, or if you just want to change things up a bit, the National Seashore’s kettle ponds offer a warm and delightful alternative!
Kettle ponds were formed by large blocks of ice stranded 18,000 years ago after the glaciers retreated. They are dotted all over New England; Boston’s Jamaica Pond is one of the largest examples. Fed only by groundwater and rainwater, these ponds are precious ecosystems, home to an array of species of frogs, turtles, and insects.
Further up Cape, beyond the protection of the National Seashore, these ecosystems have been destabilized by human activity — prone to algae blooms, silting in, and other ill effects of nitrogen pollution and over-development.
Fortunately, in our neighborhood, we have a number of clean, unspoiled kettle ponds to enjoy.
My go-to spot is Truro’s Great Pond, just off Collins Road near the border with Wellfleet. Parking is limited, and it is relatively free of the recreational boaters and splashing children you’ll find at Wellfleet’s better-trafficked ponds. Easy access, via a woodland path and sandy beach, free of pond muck. Click here to find it on the map.
Two options for lap swimming: (1) around the edge, or (2) across and back. With pond depth of about 30 feet at the center, option 1 is clearly safer, especially if swimming alone. (And you avoid thinking about what might come up from the deep.) But because one time I saw a snapping turtle in the reeds, I prefer option 2, staying in the open water.
Added bonus: Although sharks do date from the last Ice Age, they still have not figured out how to swim in ponds.
Enjoy!