LAKE MEMPHREMAGOG - Andie Emsholf Nelson, 43, of Alexandria, VA, took on The Search for Memphre this past week, leaving from the EastSide Restaurant in Newport, VT shortly before midnight of Friday, August 22, 2022. Lake temperature was 73 F. Air Temp was in the low 60s. Wind was negligible. A light rain was falling for the first 20 minutes. Bob Soullierre, of Alexandria, VA crewed for Andie. Phil White, piloted Lucky, our pontoon boat, with Margaret Rivard serving as apprentice co-pilot and assistant crew.
Almost immediately Andie encountered another side of Memphre, experiencing severe, unexpected, and unrelenting vertigo. It led to an increasing feeling of nausea and then vomiting that could not be contained.
Notwithstanding, she swam strong into the dead of night, faster than 2 mph, passing the lighthouse before her second feed at the 1-hour point. But, after the third feed she continued to vomit and then dry heave. She tried some various feed changes, hoping to settle things down. But to no avail. At about the 3.5-mile mark she wisely called the swim off and got into the boat.
We sat for a few hours out on the water, experiencing the warmth of the night, the light breeze, and the occasional appearance of the ¼ moon. We listened to music and swapped stories. We drank KIS Kombucha Tea. A couple of us pulled out a shot or two of vodka.
The disappointment was palpable. Andie had trained hard for this swim. The wallop upside the head was the last thing any of us expected. And we let the loss seep through us with an increasing acceptance of the moment.
Later in the afternoon of the same day of her scheduled swim, Andie returned. We took Lucky out past Province Island, across the border, around Ile Ronde and over to Skinner Island. We talked, swapped more stories, and listened to more music. On the way back, Andie got into the water and swam three miles back toward Province Island. Water was 76 F. Air was warm. The setting sun cast a beam across the water which Andie swam through, graceful and powerful. Andie made her peace with Memphre.
Back in the boat, we talked some more. Andie’s a cold water swimmer and an enthusiastic member of the Memphremagog Winter Swimming Society - The Tribe. She’s relatively new to ultra-marathon swimming. She swam 20 Bridges last year and the DC Marathon Swim this spring. She clearly has her sights on more. To her, cold water and open water swimming have become cathartic and healing. She continued, “When I signed on to the Search, it was a check mark. I’ve come to respect this lake and her spirit.”
Andie’s journey into open water swimming is just beginning. The lessons she learned from Memphre will serve her well as she continues her own personal search.
