But when we reached there, we were confronted with this beautiful lake with the clearest water I had ever seen. Well you can't really make that out in the photo below (and it's not a particularly flattering pic of any of the three of us), but what you will notice is that the is a region closer to the photographer is light green/blue in color and it transitions abruptly to a deep blue color.
We swam almost to the edge of the transition and used our swimming goggles to check out what the color change was all about. And the sight was a real scary one. We could clearly see the lake bed for about 8-10 feet in front of us and then it seemed as if there was nothing at all beyond that. After some deliberation, I decided to swim right to that edge, and when I just about reached the edge, I saw the lake floor slant down at more than a 45 degree angle and disappear into the depths of the clear blue water. Of course, I immediately turned back and swam as fast as I could to safety.
Although I think I won't be scared to swim in the middle of the lake, seeing the lake floor disappear into the distance was very scary. It was almost like vertigo.
A similar comparison:
You won't be scared to view Chicago from the top of the 100+ storied Sears towers (from a safe glass covered indoor viewing area), but one would be much more scared to stand at the edge of a windy 10th floor balcony with no guard rails.
The image of the disappearing lake floor still haunts me. :)
p.s. Lake Higgins is voted the 6th most beautiful lake in the world by National Geographic.
9 comments:
an abrupt change in lake colors (esp seen in great lakes) is almost always caused by abrupt changes in depth
yeah. even in the oceans. abrupt changes are usually depth changes. you can clearly see a line separating the colors.
Yes, we'd guessed that much, but it was fun to actually see it :))
yeah. it is scary thought just to look at it. even though you know you are not drowning or anything, it just sends a chill down the spine :)
harrysoms how do you display china's blog correctly in IE 7 ??
i've been going to higgins lake for as long as i can remember. my grandparents have a cottage near the north state park. my dad used to drive the pontoon out drop the anchor and throw us in the frigid blue water. Its one of my favorite places and i've traveled far and wide. i still long to walk along the drop off and hold my breath as i watch the water change color.
I'm actually writing a geography paper about Higgins Lake and what it means to me. I'm 21,from North Carolina, and have been traveling to my grandmother's cottage at the lake since I was 3 years old. Even being a competitive swimmer my whole life I still get scared to swim past the dropoff. Something about it just induces fear.
I'm really looking forward to when I can get back up there.
What a great story; I was right there with you! But then we are best friends with a family (that is like family) and they have a beautiful cottage right on the lake facing the sunset. We're spending the next five days there. It is such a place of beauty, peace and more. And you can't get better ice cream than at Nibbles by the S. State Park or a better hot-dog than at Ron's in Houghton Lake. Hope you and yours come back. I'm from this area, but my wife is from Texas and she and her family love it here! Have a blessed Labor Day! Be safe! Ok. :o)
I was searching for pics of Higgins Lake and came across this blog. I got shivers just reading about the drop off! I've been to HL before and it's how I imagine the Caribbean to be.
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