Ashland quartet swims to all 22 Apostle Islands

Some might say, "It's crazy; it's over the top," and ask "Why would someone do such a thing?"

But for four Bayfield men: Tim Faust, Scott Armstrong, Dwayne Szot and Dave Martinson, the question was, "Why not swim to all of the 22 Apostle Islands in Lake Superior?" - a feat never before undertaken by either professional or amateur swimmers.

This idea to conquer the Apostle Islands archipelago, stroke by stroke, island by island, was formulated three years ago when these not-so-young men, over 200 years old collectively, decided it could be done. Armstrong charted every swim by date and distance on a three-dimensional island map.

The distances between the island-to-island open swims ranged between three-quarters of a mile to 2¾ miles in water temperatures as low as 54 and as high as 67 degrees. Guide boats and spotters were used for safety. Due to varying work schedules, most of the swims were done on weekends, weather permitting, between mid-June and mid-October. The swimmers either swam solo with a guide boat or arranged to swim together in a two-, three- or foursome.

The most experienced swimmer is Tim Faust. "I've been swimming all my life," he said, which includes recreational swimming, master swimming (adult swimmers who train and compete), and triathlons, one of which included swimming to Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay. Faust is credited by the other swimmers as "the drive" behind completing their mission. At 64, Faust said there is a pattern in his life to "go outside the box, to desire to push oneself, and to persevere."

"Perseverance is a valuable lesson we all need to learn," he said. "I think a quote by Jean Luc Picard captures the meaning of perseverance: 'It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness. That is life."'

"What I loved about the swimming was the feeling of moving through time and space."

To keep in shape for the island swimming Faust trains year-round by swimming a mile and a half three times a week at the Bayfield Recreation Center. He also adds a spiritual component to his mission by offering up a prayer before he sets out for his next island swim to honor those who have passed away, to ask for guidance for someone in trouble, or a prayer for his loved ones.

Apparently, the physical and spiritual training has been beneficial. Faust, along with Armstrong completed their last swim on Sept. 30 from Rocky to Otter Island, a three-quarter-mile swim, in two- to three-foot waves and strong winds. The water temperature was 57 degrees.

Faust swam to nine islands this season. He had the most difficult swim in September when he, Armstrong and Szot ventured out in a fog between Stockton and Outer Island, one of the longest swims at nearly three miles. The fog reduced the visibility to about 100 yards. They decided to "go for it," and relied on their guide boat and compass bearings.

Within the first mile the fog lifted, revealing Outer Island in the distance. Faust and Szot stayed with the boat, but Armstrong decided to press on alone.

As quickly as the fog lifted, it settled back in again, once again obscuring the island. Faust said it was alarming when both the island and Armstrong disappeared from sight. Faust and Szot kept on swimming for four miles hoping to catch up with Armstrong. The fog was so thick they were off course by about a third of a mile, running parallel to the island. They had missed the sand spit on the southern tip of the island. They agreed to abort the swim, get back in the boat and head towards Outer Island to find Armstrong, which they finally did.

Remarkably, Armstrong had kept his bearing by keeping the setting sun, cloaked in fog, at his back, and kept swimming due east where he landed at the sand spit. "I hit it dead on," he said. When he arrived he was greeted and cared for by boaters who had to drop anchor at the same location. For 47-year-old Szot, the Stockton to Outer island swim was the most challenging, but also the most exciting.

"To swim into the fog and not been able to see the island, that is something we'll never forget," Szot said. "To do the swim twice was actually a lot of fun."

Unlike Faust, Szot is a newcomer to open long-distance swimming. He started swimming in Lake Superior four years ago after being inspired by the first annual Pointe to La Pointe Open Swim organized by Armstrong, who is the recreation center director. Prior to his interest in open swimming, Szot was a long-distance runner. His greatest accomplishment as a runner happened in his early 20s when he ran 110 miles from Traverse City, Mich. to the Mackinaw Bridge. The dollar-per-mile pledges paid for his sophomore year at college.

Although he is in good physical condition, making the transition from a long-distance runner to a long-distance swimmer wasn't easy.

"It was difficult initially to get used to being comfortable in a wet suit and making the crossings from one island to the next in water that is so cold and so deep," he said. "Tim was very encouraging throughout the whole process."

Looking back over the last three years, Szot realizes how important swimming has become in his life. He has one island left to swim this month, Raspberry Island, and he's done.

"What I loved about the swimming was the feeling of moving through time and space; having a connection to the environment; to experience the changes of the seasons in the water," he said. As a sidebar to the island-to-island swim, Szot has taken up the personal goal and challenge of swimming one mile every other day in Lake Superior until it ices over. He hopes to swim to Madeline Island (two miles) on Christmas Day.

Armstrong, at 45, is the youngest of the swimmers. Swimming was a recreational sport up until three years ago when he started researching the possibility of organizing the Pointe to La Pointe Open Swim.

"The first thing I did was rent a wet suit from Trek and Trail," he said. "I swam about a half-mile out in the lake and then swam back again. It was kind of scary at first, but the more you learn, the more you grow and the more confident you become."

Armstrong said a less-than-desirable-swim was to Gull Island, a bird sanctuary. Armstrong thought it would be "a piece of cake," but encountered hundreds of gulls swarming the island and dive bombing him in the water as he approached the island. The water was salty tasting and very unpleasant.

On the other end of the spectrum were two fun-filled swims: one to Raspberry Island with Faust and the other to Ironwood Island. When he and Faust arrived at Raspberry Island they were met by National Park Service Ranger Jim Stowell, who was amazed to see frogmen emerging from Lake Superior. His only comment was, "People have come here by many methods, but never by swimming."

Armstrong said one of the most enjoyable swims was to Ironwood Island. It was smooth sailing the whole swim. When he reached the beach on the island a group of unsuspecting campers were bewildered by the man in a wet suit who came out of the lake.

"I could tell they were pretty blown away, so I said, 'Did anyone order pizza?"'

The fourth swimmer, Dave Martinson, has completed 12 of the 22 islands and has no intention of stopping until he too has completed all 22.

Martinson said he never did a solo swim with a guide boat but chose to always swim with the others. There were occasions when other community swimmers, both men and women, would come along to experience the thrill of an island-hopping swim.

Martinson recalled one of his toughest swims.

"So far the most difficult swim has been from Stockton Island to Michigan Island," he said. "It's funny, I've never been to Michigan Island in spite of owning a boat for 25 years, so I thought I might as well swim there."

The swim was a 2¾-mile stint and the longest swim to date for Martinson.

"It was pretty wavy. Waves were coming at you from two different directions. It made it difficult to breathe and keep righted," he said. "The waves threw me from side to side so it took extra effort to maintain my course."

One of the side-effects of long-distance swimming for Martinson and other open water swimmers is losing equilibrium, especially in wavy conditions.

"I remember at the end of one of my longer swims I got to the beach and my equilibrium was way out of balance. I fell down four or five times. There were campers on the beach that must have thought I was drunk," Martinson said with tongue-in-cheek humor.

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Information from: The Daily Press