A year ago, as I was putting together my 50 By 50 Bucket List, my friend Viki told me about a lake swim she had done with her family called Krossin’ Keuka. It’s a .67-mile swim across Keuka Lake that raises money for Keuka Comfort Care Home, a nonprofit hospice care home in western New York.

I love to swim, so I immediately thought, Yep…that’s going on the list.

Little did I know this bucket list item would give me so much more than just the chance to swim across a lake.

Where My Love of Swimming Began

Let’s go back to 1990.

My best friend Kari dragged me to swim team tryouts our freshman year of high school. I had never swum competitively before, but I figured I’d give it a shot.

Somehow, I made varsity as a freshman.

By senior year, Kari and I were co-captains of the team, and we tied for Most Valuable Swimmer.

After graduation, though? Life happened.

I swam here and there over the years, but never consistently. Once I added Krossin’ Keuka to my bucket list last summer, I got back in the pool—and something clicked.

With lots of encouragement from friends, especially Heather Smith, I now swim several days a week, usually knocking out 40 to 60 laps each session. I throw on my underwater headphones (yes, those actually exist!) and just swim.

And thank goodness for those headphones because I can’t imagine swimming with nothing but my own thoughts for an hour!

Swimming for Something Bigger

Viki and I signed up as the Mid-Life Mermaids, and then the fundraising began.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of friends and family, I raised $766.86, and together our team raised $1,849.89 for Keuka Comfort Care Home.

After watching both my mom and my grandmother receive hospice care, swimming for Keuka Comfort Care Home meant so much more than checking off another bucket list item. It felt like a small way to give back to an organization that provides comfort and dignity to families during some of life’s hardest moments.

To everyone who donated, shared my fundraiser, cheered me on, or simply encouraged me along the way—thank you. Your support meant more than you know.

Time to Cross a Lake

I arrived in Hammondsport, New York, on Thursday afternoon, and I immediately fell in love with the area. Viki and John’s lake house has the most amazing views, and I could see why they love spending so much time there.

We took a swim that afternoon, and after visiting Watkins Glen on Friday, we headed back to the lake so I could throw on my goggles and get a feel for swimming in open water.

I’ll be honest…

I was nervous.

Swimming laps in a pool is one thing. Swimming across a lake where you can’t see—or touch—the bottom is something entirely different. (For those wondering, Keuka Lake is about 180 feet deep where we were swimming.)

Friday evening we headed to Keuka College to pick up our race packets. We found out we were on Purple Team 10 and, because we had each raised more than $500, we received our participant T-shirts, a dry bag, and a cute little “.67” sticker. (Viki and I both agreed they missed a marketing opportunity with the whole “6-7” trend.)

After a few pictures with our swag, we grabbed dinner and headed back to the house.

Sleep…

Well, let’s just say neither of us got much.

Race Morning

The alarm went off at 5:00 a.m.

By 6:30 we were at Keuka Lake checking in with our team captains, who made sure we knew exactly where to go and, more importantly, that all of us made it back out of the lake.

The atmosphere was incredible.

There was music, a DJ hyping everyone up, volunteers everywhere, breakfast for participants, and nearly 200 swimmers all pretending they weren’t at least a little nervous.

The air temperature was 61 degrees.

The lake?

Around 78.

I still refused to touch the water until I absolutely had to.

Jump!

Eventually our group boarded a pontoon boat and headed across the lake.

Viki and I were the last two standing.

We counted to three…

…and jumped.

The water wasn’t freezing, but it definitely woke me up.

As soon as we surfaced, Viki yelled,

“Just go!”

So I did.

Swimming Across a Lake Is Hard

Listen, folks…

Swimming across a lake is NOTHING like swimming in a pool.

There was current.

There was wind.

There were waves (well tiny ones).

And apparently I have absolutely no ability to swim in a straight line.

At one point I had drifted so far toward the paddlers that a volunteer had to yell at me to straighten out.

Oops.

I ended up alternating between freestyle so I could keep moving and breaststroke so I could actually see where I was going.

It was hard.

It was exhausting.

There were definitely moments when I questioned why I thought this was such a great bucket list idea.

But then I started getting close enough to shore that I could hear the music.

I could hear people cheering.

Suddenly, I found another gear.

I climbed out of the water in 24 minutes and 22 seconds.

As each swimmer came ashore, our names were announced over the loudspeaker.

“Danielle Janson has crossed Keuka!”

I’m not going to lie…

That felt pretty amazing.

One of the Keuka Comfort Care Home board members stood at the finish, shaking the hand of every single swimmer and thanking us for participating and fundraising.

All 199 of us.

It was such a simple gesture, but it made the entire event feel incredibly personal.

John was waiting for me with my towel, flip-flops, and camera.

Every event needs a John.

Watching My Friend Finish

After catching my breath, I waited on shore for Viki.

She’ll be the first person to tell you she’s “not a swimmer.”

The last time she did Krossin’ Keuka, she used a pool noodle.

Not this year.

She crossed that lake on her own and came out smiling from ear to ear.

I don’t know who was more proud—her or me.

We grabbed some water and bananas, took a few more pictures, and stayed to cheer on one of the most inspiring women there—a 79-year-old who was completing Krossin’ Keuka for the seventh time.

Honestly?

I hope I’m still doing things like this when I’m 79.

More Than a Bucket List Item

Looking back, crossing Keuka Lake was only part of what made this experience so special.

This one bucket list item helped me rediscover my love of swimming.

It pushed me outside my comfort zone.

It raised money for an incredible hospice organization.

It gave me a weekend full of laughter, friendship, and memories I’ll never forget.

And maybe the best part of all…

It reminded me that sometimes the things we put on a bucket list end up giving us something we never expected.

Viki, thank you for inviting me to join you on this adventure. Thank you and John for opening your home, making me feel like family, and showing me one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited.

I absolutely fell in love with western New York (not Upstate…LOL!).

Talking books, wellness, life, and everything in between made the weekend even more special.

And if you’ll have me…

I think the Mid-Life Mermaids might just have to make another appearance next year.

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Krossin’ Keuka by the Numbers

🏊 199 registered swimmers
🚣 55 registered paddlers
🛟 200 pool noodles
🍌 40 pounds of bananas
🚤 9 pontoon boats
🚨 6 safety boats
⚓ 1 anchor boat
👕 350 completely sold-out event T-shirts

Bucket List Item #19…Crossed Off! ✔️