Lake Tahoe Swim Attempt 2023

In 2015, I had the opportunity to crew for a friend swimming across Lake Tahoe. I was able to be a support swimmer during his swim and I loved the clear, blue water. Ever since then, I have been interested in attempting a Lake Tahoe crossing. In August 2023, I had the opportunity to go to Lake Tahoe for a swim attempt. My swim was set for Monday, August 7th. My family and I arrived at Lake Tahoe on Saturday evening before the swim.

As we came up over the pass and from Carson City, Nevada, I saw the lake for the first time. I could see the blue water glinting in the bright summer sunlight. I was desperate to see the lake in full, but I could only get glimpses through the tall pines. Finally, at one viewpoint, we stopped so I could snap a picture. The lake is only two miles longer than my training lake, but it looked huge! I was glad to arrive a few days before my swim, so I could test out the water ahead of time. Once we got checked into our spot at the campground in South Lake Tahoe, we headed down to the lake. It was already 7:00 p.m., but I could have a brief dip in the water just to test it out. There was a beach park where my kids could play on the toys with my parents while I spent 15-20 minutes in the water. So many people warned me about the cold water temperature, but I wasn’t too worried. As I stepped into the water that evening, I was surprised at how warm the water was. I only swam for 15 minutes, but it was nice to have that first exposure to the lake.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to the west side of the Lake to play in the water with my kids and to give me the opportunity to get a proper swim in. I swam about 3,000 meters for an hour. The water temperature felt great, I was impressed at how clean and clear the water was, my swimming felt great, and the elevation was not an issue. I knew I was ready for tomorrow.

At 6:00 p.m. on Monday evening, August 7th, I met with Brian and Sylvia at the pier. They went over a safety briefing and then we waited and chatted for the breeze to die down as sunset got a little closer. Brian went over the temperature and currents that happen in the lake. There is a current that can push you, which was surprising to me since it is a lake. I had a two-year-old and a six-month-old, so I nursed the baby one last time before loading my gear onto the boat. Just as my family was about ready to leave and we were doing last-minute things, a bear came running down the beach and onto the pier briefly before it continued further down the beach. I didn’t see it at first, but I heard screams and screeches and saw people rushing away. Suddenly, the boat crew told us to quickly and calmly run behind the gate on the pier. That is when I first saw the bear. I was fine, but I was more concerned about my little kids. My mom was holding the baby at the time and was not moving very quickly so one of the crew rushed to help bring her and the baby safely behind the gate. Finally, with the bear gone, my kids and husband heading back to the trailer, my parents, the Tahoe crew, and I headed out on the boat.

We paused for a  moment to watch another swimmer start his swim and to cheer him on. Then, it was time for me to start my swim I was greased up and ready to go. I wanted to break my norm of taking forever to jump in, and just go for it. I took a deep breath and stepped off the platform at the back of the boat. The water temperature was not too bad, but I was glad that I had tested it out the day before. I swam to the shore, climbed out, so I was clear of the water and then put my arm in the air to signal the start. For the first few minutes, I had to watch to keep clear of boats moored at the edge of the mooring area. Once we were clear of that, I could get into my rhythm.

I always get nervous before a swim, but once I start, all my nervousness leaves. I was able to watch the sky over the mountains turn pink as the sun went down and dusk came. For me, dusk is the time where I have the hardest time seeing the boat properly. It is just light enough that the glow sticks are not easy to see and it is just dark enough that the boat is not super clear to see. I also always wear Swedish goggles, which tend to fog up more. Even with the fogging up, I choose Swedish goggles because all padded goggles make me very dizzy. There were times I was having a hard time staying as far away from the boat as the crew wanted me to. They kept having to tell me that needed to be further away so they would not accidentally hit me. I wasn’t trying to be that close, it was just hard to tell how close I was between the dark sky, the foggy goggles, and the water; all depth perception was gone. Other than occasionally swimming too close to the boat, the swim was going perfectly. I was on pace, the feeds were going well, with my standard Gatorade/honey mixture for my drink every thirty minutes and my peanut butter and jelly sandwich every hour and a half. I was a little frustrated with the feeds. I always attach a glow stick to my water bottle, so I can find it quickly and easily. Instead of doing that, they put the glow stick in the water bottle. This made it harder to see the light. It also made the glow stick get in the way when I had a drink. I mentioned it to my mom, and she said the local Tahoe crew told her to do it that way. We made it work, but will absolutely not do it that way again.

About three hours into the swim, I got a side ache. This is not that uncommon, particularly when swimming at a higher elevation. Usually, if I exhale more air out, the side ache will go away. If that does not work, I can breathe on the other side, and the side ache will go away. I tried both of these things, but I could not get the side ache to go away. It was an inconvenience, but not anything I could not swim through. For several feeds, I did not say anything to my crew/parents. After about two hours, I did mention that I had a side ache, but that was it. On the next feed, I didn’t mention it again, but by hour three, the pain was getting worse and was not going away. My side was hurting badly and I was hungry. My mom had gotten off on my feeding pattern and gave me just a drink when I was supposed to get a solid.

I was counting down to the next feed when I would get my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Again, there was only liquid. I was so mad. I asked “My side ache is not going away; it is hurting really badly. And, I’m super hungry. Can I please have food on the next feed? I was supposed to on the last one; it is now two past.” My mom apologized and promised food on the next feed. I was in so much pain that I could barely breathe. The deeper breath I would try to take, the more it would hurt. When I did stop for the next feeding, I actually let out an audible groan of pain. I tried to eat the sandwich tossed to me, but I couldn’t get more than two bites in.

My crew noticed that I was struggling. My parents know that I am a very calm and quiet swimmer. Some people are verbal or frustrated when tired or when things get hard. I do not talk and I do not complain. This was so unusual for me. Because of this, my parents were worried. My dad, a physician, asked me a few questions to check my cognitive state. “What is my name? What was I doing? What day was it?” Etc.

I responded with, “It is August 7th, or probably 8th at this point. I am swimming across the lake. I am not hypothermic and my mental state is fine. I’m just in pain.

“Okay, we just need to be sure. You do not seem okay. Tell me about your side. Where is the pain?” I explained where the pain was the best I could. “Okay, are going to stop you again in fifteen minutes instead of your standard thirty. We need to see how you are doing.” I put my head in and swam for fifteen minutes. The pain was terrible, but this hurt less than it did while treading water. In fifteen minutes, they signaled me to stop me. As I pulled my legs under me into a vertical position for treading, the pain shot through my stomach so much worse. I could barely breathe. As I tried to talk to my parents and the boat crew, my speaking was breathy and choppy. The pain was just too much to hide it. I was also getting cold. These longer and more frequent stops were preventing me from keeping warm with movement. With my head out, the mid-40s air temperature was making me cold very quickly.

“Drink some more Gatorade and eat another sandwich section. You need  more fuel.” My mom called to me as she threw the rope out. I grabbed the bottle and tried to drink, but that hurt too badly, I dropped it after just a sip. I opened the box and pulled out part of the sandwich and tried that. It was no good either. I could not breathe enough to chew or swallow; every movement was incredibly painful. By now I was also shivering a lot. I put my head in to swim on. That was the best option at this point. My side was killing me, but swimming was the least painful option. After only 10 more minutes of swimming, my family stopped me again.

This time as my legs came under me in the vertical position, I let out an unintentional cry of pain. “Is the pain subsiding at all? I did not need to answer. As I tried to talk, my gasping for breath gave it away. “Joelle, I think your side pain is actually your appendix.” I think we need to pull you out and possibly take you to the hospital.”

Sylvia from the boat crew chimed in, “What level would you say your pain is?”

“Um, an eight,” I responded.

“Okay, you are out.” Sylvia made the call. At that point, I was not even too mad. It was hurting so badly, I could barely climb up the ladder to the boat.

As I climbed on the boat, my dad poked the lower right side of my stomach. “Is this where the pain is?” As he touched it, it hurt much worse.

“Ouch! Yes, it’s right there.”

“You have appendicitis.” He told me. Turning to the boat crew, he said, ‘We need to get her to the hospital.” The crew immediately grabbed towels and blankets to wrap me up. The air temperature was around 45 degrees Fahrenheit and I was wet and had just spent seven hours in a cold lake. The cold air hit my face as the boat raced across the water back to the marina. My mom called my husband, Eric, and told him what was happening. He needed to meet us at the marina in 15 minutes ready to take me to the hospital.


By the time we reached the marina, I was freezing. Eric had the heat in the truck blasting. Even though I was cold, I needed to use the breast pump. So I put on the nursing cover and began pumping. A few minutes later, we pulled into the ER drop off at the hospital. Eric and my mom head back to the trailer and the sleeping babies. It was the middle of the night, I was in a wet swimming suit with just a swim parka for warmth in the 45 degree weather, a swim cap (I kept it on for warmth),  a nursing cover, and a breast pump. My face was red from exercise, wind burn, and cold. I looked ridiculous. As we explained the situation to the personnel at the check-in, they looked at me like I was crazy. “You were swimming all the way across the lake? In the middle of the night?” Clearly they were not aware this was a real thing. They thought I was a total crazy just jumping in the lake at random, hoping to “go for a swim.”


My dad was able to give specific medical details as I was warmed up with hot blankets. When they tried to take my temperature, it was low enough that the thermometer could not take a reading. As I started to thaw out, I noticed the pain in my lower side had dulled a little bit. I could breathe and move without doubling over. We ended up having to wait several hours until the morning crew came in to read the results of my test. Everyone still seemed to think we were crazy people for trying to do a swim like that. Fortunately, the doctor who came in during the morning was aware of the swim and had done a width swim earlier in the summer. Finally, someone didn;t think we were just crazy.


I ended up not having to get my appendix out that morning. The hospital crew said they thought I would be okay for a couple of days until we got home. Dealing with everything at home would logistically be easier. A week later at home, I had my appendix removed.


I am disappointed that the swim was not successful, but appendicitis is not something you can plan for. I hope to have a successful Tahoe swim sometime in the future.