Day 8: Sad day

Swam 13.5 miles today and had a fair bit of rain. James and I waited under a bridge for the rain to pass for an hour or so.

I am starting to feel strong swimming. My body is adjusting and 10-15 mile swim days are manageable. Did I mention I was the worst in swim team in high school? I haven't swam more than an hour in over a year. So this is all a bit odd.

Overall, today was a sad day knowing James is heading home. His grandfather is very ill and on a pacemaker and he is heading home to Georgia to take care of his grandmother with Alzheimer's.

With this journey safety support is crucial. I had a hard think about whether I should continue or quit without him. I am terrible when it comes to giving up. Mentally, it would stick with me knowing i could have gone farther. And I do not want to wait until later. Later may never come and now is the time I have.

I called some friends and found someone to complete the journey as a safety kayaker. He can join August 10, so I have a bit of time to either wait or swim solo. James and I put together a harness and rope to the kayak to test out if I could swim with all my gear/food attached. Not quit sure yet what I will do until the 10th.