A post-backpacking swim in North Cascades National Park
Alpengirls in a Montana alpine lake
Practicing for an Alpenolympics Event
An impressive feat of balance by Alpengirls on Ross Lake
Taking the plunge is easier with a helping hand
Dolphin or Alpengirl? Hard to tell from here ...
Hot springs detour on the Wild and Scenic Raft Adventure
An icy and invigorating place to sit in the North Cascades
Sometimes a beautiful spot calls for an impromptu dip
Taking the plunge in Ross Lake - North Cascades Adventure
A trailside swim near Mount St Helens, WA
Enjoying the water on a backpacking trip in Washington
Jumping in solidarity!
Swimming & Hot Spring Soaking
It wouldn’t be summer camp without water fun and swimming! We have lots of opportunities for swimming at girls adventure camp, plus, we have some great natural hot spring pools to soak in during many of our sessions. When swimming takes place, we have a certified Alpenguide lifeguard supervising the activity or we use staffed public facilities with lifeguards who supervise swimming.
Swimming
At camp we swim in whatever body of water we hear calling our name, whether it be a public pool, a lake, a stream, a river, or the ocean. Providing that the weather is non-threatening and warm enough and that the water is slow and without currents, we like to jump in whenever we get the chance. When swimming in the ocean, your Alpenguides will define swimming boundaries such as depth limit and distance from shore. In landlocked Montana, there are sometimes small sandy or rocky beaches along rivers, streams or alpine lakes, but swimming in Montana waters is nothing like beach and ocean swimming, it’s so exhilarating and fun, if you have never jumped into a cold alpine lake - you simply MUST try it! When we are backpacking we usually cannot pass up a quick plunge into a cold, alpine lake or let our tired feet refresh in a running mountain creek. Again, boundaries are set in order to keep you safe. Sometimes while rafting, the raft guide will let you jump out of the raft to swim near the raft. This is tons of fun and always happens in the calmest section of river. Washington’s oceans, rivers, and lakes are all fun to swim in and the same restrictions apply. Weather and time permitting, boundaries will be set and you can go out and have fun, perhaps by practicing for a whale breaching Alpenolympic event. In public pools, lifeguarded or not, we follow the rules of the pool in order to respect the establishment, the other guests at the pool.
Hot Spring Soaking
Hot spring soaking remains one of the highlights of many Alpengirl itieraries. In fact, we love hot spring soaking so much that there are only a few itineraries where we don't have a trip to a hot spring included! Usually we soak following a backpacking trip and the hot springs help relax our minds and muscles, rejuvenating ourselves for more camp activities. Natural, non-chlorinated hot spring pools are a geothermal wonder! All of the hot springs we soak in have been built up and most look like a regular swimming pool, except there is no chlorine necessary to keep the pools clean, the hot water does it naturally. The heated water flow is completely natural but the surrounding area has been built up to accommodate more people more easily. When we go to public hot springs there are usually 2 or more pools that we could soak in that are at different warm/hot temperatures. One of the hot springs in Montana is in a wood-lined pool filled with natural 103˚F water and occasionally hosts live acoustic music poolside, from this pool we can enjoy the views, watching for deer, antelope, moose, hawks, Sandhill cranes, egrets, geese, and songbirds.
