MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
In the middle of summer, when the days are often hot and muggy, a good place to cool off can be priceless. NPR's Brian Mann went in search of the perfect swimming hole in New York's Adirondack Mountains.
BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: It is a radiant summer morning, and I'm setting off into what's called the Hoffman Notch Wilderness. Searching for swimming holes is a hobby, and I have just this collection of places I love to go. And I've never really explored this valley. It's not a steep climb. This trail north of Albany doesn't lead to summits or big mountain views. The goal today is cold water and deep pools. As I hike, there are birds everywhere. They dip and flash under the tree canopy. I pause at the edge of a pine forest to listen.
The day is already hot. I hike on and come to the first log bridge that takes me across Hoffman Notch Brook. Impossibly clear water folds through the trees, catching sunlight. I chose this trail because of the brook on the map. It looks promising for places to swim. But it's not deep enough here, so I keep going. Another thing that's drawn me here, this place isn't Instagram famous. On this day, there's no one else here. The only chatter is a frog hiding under one of the foot bridges.
(SOUNDBITE OF FROG CROAKING)
MANN: I'm walking in a place where the forest opens up, and there is just this ocean of ferns. I'm wading through knee and waist-deep ferns on all sides. One thing that makes a wild swimming hole really special is solitude. I like to pretend I'm really exploring, finding places in the forest no one has ever seen before. To get deeper into this wildness, I've actually left the trail now. And I'm following the bed of this really stony, rocky river. This is kind of my way of not getting lost is using this as my path.
Soon the brook gathers into deeper pools, sun and golden water trapped by smooth boulders. I hop from stone to stone until I find a sweet little bowl of rock stirred by a waterfall. I strip off my sweaty shirt and wade in. The water is so cold, I feel really awake for the first time in days. I swim in the secret place until I'm shivering. And then I stretch out on a stone ledge in the sunlight, grateful for the summer heat.
Brian Mann, NPR News, in New York's Adirondack Mountains. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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