As I looked around the lake this Friday morning at 7:00am I turned to my friend Dave and said, "There are no other boats on this lake right now, which means one of two things. Either we're crazy, or everyone else is."
We literally had the lake to ourselves and the water looked like glass. Our mutual friend Paul - a tournament-level skier who has been featured in the pages of Waterski Magazine - was making huge cuts behind the boat. Both of us admired his textbook-like form.
It's considered late in the season when you're skiing past Labor Day and you know it because when you get out of bed to go the stars are still out. That, plus my car's temperature gauge read a chilly 43 degrees as I sped down the road to meet Dave at 6:15.
After filling the boat with gas we put onto the water at roughly 6:50 with the sun just coming up. That didn't warm things up much because a string of clouds circled the horizon. Above us to the west, though, the mountains reflected the sunlight.
I had been first to ski and, as always, entering the water was the tough part. That, plus getting out of bed in the first place at such an early hour. But once you're in and used to the water you're glad to be out there. And the lake water remains warm, driven by the fact that 75+ degree days aren't uncommon in September and October in Colorado.
The boat pulled me out of the water and settled at 34mph. That's when you really feel the chilly air, especially on your ears and face which aren't protected by a wetsuit. But then after you make your first cut any concerns about the air, the water, work, school, life and and everything else, dissipate - you're too busy having fun, speeding across the wake at 50+mph to make another turn.
Paul went next, shortening the rope to 28 off. The longer we pulled him the more aggressive his turns got until his body was practically flat against the water. And then Dave, a long-time skier who I've skied with all summer, took his turn. Some skiers can make a handful of turns - enough to ski a course - before they become fatigued. Dave's endurance rivals anyone I've seen as he can make turns around the entire lake and then some.
Then, as is customary and almost required if you're going to get out of bed that early, we each skied a second time.
So are we crazy? Or is everyone else for not being out there? The latter for sure (even though if everyone else was out there they'd ruin our water). There are few better ways to start a morning. Surfers might say surfing is better. Fine - depends what you know. Runners may say running is better - I'm a runner and would disagree but it's better than nothing when the weather gets too cold for watersports.
It would be easy to let the weight of sleep or threat of cold keep me back. But I don't. And it makes me happier and in better spirits for the rest of the day because I've done it, even if it took a bit of a push to get there.
We're not crazy, we're just out there doing it and wondering why everyone else is so out of their minds.
