swimming in the dark

Last night was my first reminder of how the pools are here in the winter. From the parking lot, the rising steam lit from below makes a low luminous cloud over the entire outdoor pool area. Emerging from the mandatory showers, still wet, walking outside into the 0° air is a quick blast of pain before the scramble into the nearest hot tub, the one right around the corner from the door.

After a few minutes of soaking, walking outside in the cold air is easy, and I'm ready for the lap pool. It's shrouded in low-clinging steam clouds, so that the surface is barely visible. But underwater, even with the dim lights, I can see almost the length of the 50 meters. It's a hidden world down there, the other swimmers lonely companions who can only be seen from the deep. Popping my head up for air, all I can see is fog.