Here’s a surefire way to get me onboard with your next hiking/other outdoor excursion: tell me we’re going to a body of water. I don’t know what it is that gets me every time. The stillness of a pond or the rushing waters of a creek- it’s like a magnet. I know I’m not alone in feeling this. If you’ve lived in Whatcom County for long enough, chances are the natural waterways may have convinced you to stay here a bit longer. Or you’re the sporty type, and a paddle around Lake Padden is part of your daily routine.

It’s even in the name of where we live. The word Whatcom derives from a Nooksack word meaning “noisy waters.” I don’t think I can speak for every single body of water in this county, but have you seen the Nooksack River or Whatcom Falls after a good rain? The name is certainly well deserved.

When I was 13, my friends and I spent a week braving the elements of nature at a survival camp – we affectionately referred to it as “river camp.” We rappelled off of hidden rock formations, learned what wild blueberries looked like, and used our limited resources to make it through the week outdoors. Our tents were pitched within walking distance of a river that we had all explored as kids- it was considered a treat to go explore it. But in the confines of the woods in upstate NY, it held much more significance.

We’d pass around bottles of biodegradable shampoo and clean off in the shallower parts. The deepest part (that we could access) had a concrete retaining wall where we’d all jump off during our free time. We’d get massive pots of water from the river, lugging them up in teams to our cooking site to boil. Even the sounds of the water flowing helped me doze off in my tent at night.

It became pretty clear to the lot of us that where there was water, there was life. In an emergency, if we were ever lost in the wilderness, we were taught to follow the water. Even if we couldn’t immediately get to civilization, we could at least survive for a little while longer.

(If you haven’t read about the Water Is Life movement, I also recommend taking a deep dive into those protests.)

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I’ve gotten to know some of the best watering holes in Whatcom County over the past two heat waves. A humid day, like Saturday, was perfect for wading through the waters of Lake Whatcom. With the breeze in my hair and an ice cold sparkling water in my hand, I couldn’t imagine spending time anywhere else. Was my time on the lake a lesson in survival? No. But after spending the day out in the heat, with the sun draining all of my energy, swimming within the crystal-clear waters brought me back to life. It felt so refreshing to float around the shoreline. I was raring to go for one more hurrah that night.

Between street fairs and Ski to Sea, I had thought that I’d fully lived through the proper “Whatcom County Experience.” Even through exploring our region’s waterways, and learning about the ways our communities are trying to protect them, I thought that I had seen and done it all.

Saturday evening, I decided to have a nice dinner at sunset near the Taylor Ave dock. While marveling at the shades of red and purple in the sky, some movement closer to the water caught my eye. Kids were jumping off the railings into the bay, almost non-stop. I watched in amusement as I munched on some spectacular smoked salmon. But then it occurred to me- I hadn’t changed from earlier. Was I too old to partake in what appeared to be a rite of passage?

I decided the answer was “no.” Off I went, down the ramp.

Many kids were using height to their advantage. Some perched themselves on the tops of rail posts. Others backflipped right on in, effortlessly. There was joy in the air, from the top of the ramp down to where some rafts were tethered. A humid, breezy evening in the middle of summer- surrounded by laughter, energy, and life. The water brought life into everyone who passed by. Like a magnet, I was drawn to the source.

I thought my unofficial christening in the Bellingham Bay would have been slightly more dramatic, but hey- it’s called the “City of Subdued Excitement” for a reason. Without much thought or hesitation, I knew that hopping the rail and taking the plunge was the only right thing to do.

With the sun rapidly descending in the distance, I bounded over the rail. All I could think of to yell in the moment was “Deuces!” I don’t know why that was the cry that came to mind. Did I mean it literally, or did my subconscious want me to say something more meaningful? Could it have been a farewell to past habits, past lives, and an embrace of the future?

All thoughts going down were interrupted by the more literal embrace of the cooler-than-I-had-originally-anticipated salt waters. A nice shock to the system, and a snap back into reality. In that moment, I became- in my mind- an official member of this community.

The feeling was indescribable. Ethereal, maybe. That’s the power of the waters, if you choose to follow them.