Lili Wood, Après le plongeon. Pigment-inks print, 21 x 29.7 cm.
Lili Wood, Après le plongeon. Pigment-inks print, 21 x 29.7 cm.
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Mentz, Steve. “Five Ways of Seeing the Steinsee.” Springs: The Rachel Carson Center Review, no. 3 (May 2023).
I remember my first swim at the Steinsee, on a sunny afternoon in early October, luxuriating in the warmth of sunlight absorbed by the top layer of still water. Not many days later, I returned to find the swimming area in the shade. The underwater thermometer, which I’d not checked before, now read 11 degrees. I’m not an ice swimmer or Wim Hof devotee. Mostly I take single digits as an uncrossable Rubicon, so 11 degrees meant: swim now. You won’t want to later. A temperature of 11 seemed a just-ajar door, a passage to enter. (From the article)
This article was originally published in Springs: The Rachel Carson Center Review. The journal is an online publication featuring peer-reviewed articles, creative nonfiction, and artistic contributions that showcase the work of the Rachel Carson Center and its community across the world.
2023 Steve Mentz
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