Rivers vs. Lakes

The start of summer means it's time to splash down and cool off. Where's the best place to go to take a nice dip to cool off and relax? You can read why a lake is a better swimming choice than a pool on Eagles Nest Outfitters' (ENO) blog. But what about a river or the ocean?

Over the next 3 weeks I'll talk about 3 different scenarios and which swimming destination is the best. For this week here's 5 reasons why I'd pick a river over a lake to go swimming. Before I go any further, I'd like to put a disclaimer that when I'm talking about a river, I'm talking about the kind where there's no boats allowed. That just wouldn't be smart swimming in the middle of a river where boats are flying down the river as well.

1. More relaxing: What can be more relaxing that floating down a river in an inner tube? Exactly, I can't really think of anything else either. When it comes down to choosing between floating in place in a lake or floating down the river, sipping on a cold drink, I'm picking the river. And of course, there are lots of places to hang your hammock.
2. No boats: Like I mentioned earlier, in these rivers there aren't any boats you have to worry about. No boats means less noise and less chance of getting hurt.
3. Go waterlining: Waterlining is essentially the same as slacklining, but over water. Since a lake is bigger and wider than a river, you really can't go waterlining. As long as you find the narrow part of the river and a couple sturdy trees, you can set up a waterline and have hours of fun walking back and forth over the water, or realistically falling in a bunch.
4. Water is always flowing: As I've already mentioned, a river can be nice to float down, but it also provides a peace of mind because it's constantly flowing. For instance, amoeba thrive in warm stagnant water that's above 80 degrees F. While amoeba is essential to the environment since it helps contain the algae growth, humans still have to be observant since it can at times be harmful to us if we get it inside our bodies.
5. More opportunities for adventure: Some rivers can go on for miles upon miles. This leaves a lot of opportunity for explorations as you float or paddle down river in your canoe/kayak.