I stay quiet in the warm darkness as long as I can, but as soon as the digital alarm clock hits three a.m., I rush into the adjoining bedroom of our Airbnb and wake my two friends. Chris lets out a roar.
“Dude, why do you hate sleeping so much?”
Wesley supports with groggy concern.
“Is it really necessary we leave this early?”
I throw a duffle bag over one shoulder and pour a strong, one-gallon concoction of coffee, honey, and electrolytes into my thermos.
“It’s an hour’s walk from the parking lot just to reach the shoreline. If the rangers see us, they’re going to pull the plug on the whole swim before I even hit the water.”
Moaning, Chris and Wes roll out of bed and begin to suit up as if for a clandestine military operation.
Western Brook Pond in the Long Range Mountains of Newfoundland, Canada, is considered one of North America’s most majestic bodies of water. This
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