Stories She Told – A Dip in Lake Erie

This story is a part of the Stories She Told series. It has been modified from its original version. View the original version on Instagram.

I stopped at Presque Isle State Park on my second day of driving across the US. The park, lined with sandy beaches and picnic tables, juts out into Lake Erie. It was a busy Saturday, but I found a quiet trail to a lighthouse and hiked along with my camera.

I rounded a bend, stepping onto the beach and catching my first unimpeded view of a Great Lake. The vastness made me pause. I knew that they were big, but Lake Erie looked more ocean than lake, blue stretching along the horizon and families packed along the sandy shore.

The trail ducked back into the brush and I wandered along for a mile until I found a small alcove, surrounded by driftwood. I put my toes in the water. It was warmer than I expected and I wanted to swim in it.

Stupidly, I had left my car in denim shorts and a cotton t-shirt, which don’t convert well to swimwear. And even less convenient, I wasn’t wearing a sports bra and I had on Thinx, which are period underwear designed to absorb moisture. Not the ideal duo for jumping in the water. I considered skinny dipping, but there were too many boats.

I stood calf-deep in the water, wishing I could dip under the surface.

Then my reality came into focus, and I realized where I was and what I was doing. I had to recalibrate my mindset to Brave Solo Female Traveler.

My bra and underwear didn’t pass as a swimsuit and would get soaking wet and I did not have a towel or change of clothes with me, but I was anonymous. No one cared how I dressed, and I could just wear my shorts and shirt back to the car without underwear. I was the only thing stopping me from swimming.

I took my clothes off and slid into the water. My Thinx felt like a diaper but I floated happily anyways, pushed around by small waves.

As I walked back to the car, soaked underwear and bra in hand, I felt giddy. My tiny adventure bounced around my body like in a pinball machine, setting off all of my senses. Finally, I am traveling again!

The jitters found their home in my chest as I drove the rest of the way to my campsite for the night.