SWIM FOR DEBBIE

The journey of a waterman Follow along as seventy year old Nelson Nichols attempts to swim the 15 mile length of the Chatuge Reservoir from North Carolina to Georgia, all in honor of his Niece Debra Bordeos. Nelson chose to attempt this feat in honor of her courage against hardship and to help provide support to the Allied Services Foundation.

By Mike Nichols

6/21/2008

Some Work Best When the Rest of the World is Asleep

It’s 1 a.m., June 14, and Nelson Nichols is restless as he wanders

the house. Although he should be sleeping, the pain from many

years of neck and back injuries keeps him awake. He thinks to

himself that the pain this particular morning is greater than

usual. You see, after four major back operations and eight

inguinal hernia operations, Nelson’s pain is really only bad or

better, there really are not good days and this particular morning

appears to be a really bad day. This is usually not a problem as

he can deal with the pain but today is no usual day, today is the

swim.

You see, Nelson has been training the past few months for this

day. To swim in honor of his niece, Debbie Bordeos, for her

courage against the hardship she has had to endure in her life

and help provide support to the Allied Services Foundation

where Debbie now resides. This swim is not for him, it is for

Debbie. As he sits in the early morning hours, he reminds

himself that no matter the pain he is in, he will be getting in the

cold waters of the Chatuge Reservoir. He will challenge what

these waters have to throw at him in an attempt to swim the

some 15 miles of the Chatuge from its most northern point in

North Carolina to the southernmost point in Georgia. This is no

ordinary feat, rather it is a monumental challenge that Nelson is

determined to take on to swim such a distance non-stop, dealing

with cold water, 125-foot depths, heavy currents, blinding

surface pollutants like gasoline etc., the many fishing and

recreation craft on the lake and just plain trying not to get run

over. Oh, did I mention he is 70 years old!

So there Nelson sits in the early morning hours, in pain and

waiting for the rest of us to awake from our good night’s rest so

he can start the day.

Breakfast Energy

As Nelson’s son I want to make sure he has the best shot at

achieving his goal of reaching the south shore of the Chatuge

Reservoir. Although Nelson is accustomed to athletic

competition, as he was quite the swimmer in his day, that day

was over 50 years ago. And when he did compete it was not for

endurance but 200 yard sprints to the finish that did not required

the same training and nutrition regimen that a marathon event

like this swim will require. One

of my main objectives was to

get Nelson on the right plan to

make sure he has the best shot at

this swim. If any of you are

runners or athletes that have

participated in endurance events

such as a marathon then you

know, when the wall comes, it

comes quick. One moment you

feel great the next you have no

energy and your body is

shutting down. When the wall

does come there is no recovery.

My Goal, make sure Nelson

does not hit that wall! With this I had three major areas of

concern; nutrition, pace and cold water.

I don’t think eating has ever been a problem for Nelson. He

certainly enjoys his food. Plus, he is always active enough so

that his calorie burn offsets his caloric intake, but this was

different, now it was about building up sustainable energy and

tapping quick energy when needed. One of the first measures

was to introduce Nelson to quick energy so he can get used to

this concept during his workout regimen. It quickly became

evident that this concept of energy was a bit foreign to Nelson as

the discussion about gel shots went something like this:

Mike: ―Dad, you need to practice taking gel shots during your

training regimen. For one, you need to become accustomed to

doing this while you are swimming and additionally you need to

find a gel shot that you like. You don’t want to be introducing

something new to your body during the actual swim. Besides,

there are all kinds of flavors and you should find one you like.‖

Nelson: ―What’s a gel shot?‖

Anyway, Nelson picked Raspberry Cream Power Gel and

figured out how to swim and take a shot at the same time.

Welcome to the world of endurance sports, Nelson.

So now, I set off on addressing my concern about being

subjected to cold water for a long period of time. Up to this

point, Nelson was dead set against wearing any sort of wet suit

as he probably viewed it as some sort of modern new fangled

contraption that he did not see necessary. Besides, how many

times did I hear the story of how my dad used to break the ice on

the lake to go practice his swimming when he was a kid up in

Pennsylvania? Really, how did he walk uphill to school and

uphill back home every day, in the snow, no less?

After much discussion, we seemed to settle on a compromise. I

will not make him wear the full ironman’s wetsuit I brought up

for him but he will wear the short 1 mil spring suit that seemed

less constrictive to him. At least I got him in something other

than just his swim trunks, not optimum in my opinion, but

doable.

Speaking of nutrition, the morning has arrived and the swim

support crew is gathering. Nelson seems anxious to get going

but I insist not before a good breakfast. Today, the breakfast

energy is hot oatmeal with brown sugar and a banana. Let’s

make sure he starts out with good sustainable breakfast energy.

Tranquil Beginnings

The morning is quiet, the winds are calm and the sky is clear as

we gather at the northernmost point of Lake Chatuge Reservoir.

The launch spot is just a small parking area just off SR64 nestled

along the mountain highway near Ledford Chapel. It’s good to

start from a church.

There is a scurry of

readiness about as the

small group of close

friends and family

prepare for the start

of the swim. Terry

Preston, Nelson’s

childhood friend,

works on getting his

canoe ready for

portage. Terry insists

on being there with Nelson, although a quick cursory inventory

of his gear leads me to believe he is preparing for the worst.

Really, I hope we will not need that sleeping bag! I am also

going through the last minute check of readiness: GPS – check;

nautical maps – check; food – check; water – check; phone –

check; and an assortment of other items I hope I never need -

check. All along, Nelson goes about being upbeat and excited.

He is lathering in Vaseline, not my doing, someone else advised

him on the Vaseline trick to protect from the cold water. I’m

okay with this as I suspect it will at least help with any possible

chafing which may occur as a result of wearing a wetsuit for the

first time. It’s now 20 minutes before our scheduled departure

and Nelson takes his first shot of Raspberry Cream Power Gel in

preparation for the swim. All systems are ―go‖ for an on time

launch as the countdown approaches 8 a.m. Hey, I had to slip

that one in given Nelson’s NASA legacy.

I think Mom is quiet during this time, as she has made it clear

that she really thinks this is one of the most harebrained ideas

Nelson has come up with. So with an updated life insurance

policy and swearing that there are only two possible outcomes,

either he will end up in the hospital or he will end up as fish

food, she stays calm and reserved as the moment of no return

approaches.

And They’re Off

It’s 8 a.m. and family and friends are growing ever so much

smaller as they stand

and wave from the

shore behind us.

Nelson is off with a

strong freestyle stroke

as we take a south

heading across silk

smooth waters. This

morning the only

waves in the water

are the ones we create

as our ripples radiate out from our position and they eventually

lap silent on a nearby shore. The conditions could not be better

with clear sky, calm wind, smooth water and no boat traffic. As

Nelson would often say, ―The Dream Team, not to be confused

with The Three Stooges,‖ was off. Nelson with a strong stroke

and tons of determination and Terry in his freshly borrowed

canoe. Did I mention that Terry really has not spent much time

in the saddle of a canoe, and me on the Stand Up Paddle board

appearing to be walking on water at first glance, all just minutes

into a long and winding road, Okay, lake.

First Signs of Life

Nelson remains constant in his swim taking little break in his

stroke. Only to alternate occasionally to his breaststroke and

back to the freestyle, a strategy he has employed to take best

advantage of his strongest techniques and to use different

muscle groups for swim optimization. For me, it seems like just

moments after getting started that I feel the heat of the day

already in full force. Although it was early in the morning, I had

already removed my shirt in an attempt to stay cool as the heat

was just beginning to bear down on us. At this point being in the

water and swimming did not seem like such a bad idea. But I am

the first to admit that it would only be for play and to cool off. I

was asked in an interview for The Franklin Press what I thought

my dad’s chances were for completing this swim. Honestly I

gave him a 100% chance just based on his determination. After

that I think I told the reporter I would have given myself a 50%

chance. Well I lied on that one, after seeing what this swim was

really turning out to be, my chances would be way less and I

consider myself a very capable swimmer and of course, I am

much younger.

We must have only been into the swim for half an hour when

that first sound of a roaring engine came from around the comer.

The official lake day had started as we got buzzed by a

powerboat, towing a large rubber banana with two kids

screaming and hanging on for dear life. This would be the first

of many as Lake Chatuge proved to be a very active recreational

playground and probably not the best of choices for a long

distance endurance swim.

Nelson's Old Friend Hector

Those who know Nelson know he is an avid outdoorsman. He

thoroughly enjoys being in nature and all it has to give. Well, on

one of his trips into nature, what nature almost gave was a bite

from a timber rattler that was hanging out on the banks of the

Chatuge Lake near the dam. As Nelson swam past the dam, he

made sure we stopped for a moment to pay our respects to

Hector the Snake, as Nelson has come to refer to his reptilian

friend. Terry and I were glad that this respect was done from a

distance; as we passed the dam to leave it well behind in the

distance. For now, we had our sights set on Penland Island, the

next milestone mark on the route.

Regular Feedings

I really think that Nelson would have done this swim regardless

of the support he may or may not have been given. See the

determination comment I made earlier. With that said, he swims

like Forrest runs, sort of the ―Swim Nelson, Swim‖ thing. If I

was not there to stop him and make him eat and take energy

gels, for which I was calculating even setting my watch to go off

on predetermined increments as a reminder, I suppose he would

have swam until there was no reason to swim anymore. I made

sure he had plenty of liquids, along with electrolytes, sugars and

food along the way. Whether this had any real impact on his

ability to complete this swim is really unknown, but I like to

think I went through all those motions for a reason. Regardless, I

did stop him regularly to make sure he took in energy. Funny

thing is, one of the reasons I chose to support Nelson from a

Stand Up Paddle board is I figured it would make things easier

for him when it came

time to eat. I sort of

envisioned Nelson using

the board as a water

table where he could

swim up and hold on to

the side of the board and

rest for a moment while

he ate and took in some

fluids. Who knew that

when Nelson said he

was going to swim the length of Lake Chatuge that it meant not

touching anything, including my Stand Up Paddle board. Nelson

took every break treading water without touching anything. He

took his gel shots, ate bananas, oranges, and peanut butter and

jelly sandwiches and drank without ever touching anything but

good old lake H20.

Good Luck From the Lake

The day has progressed and Nelson is still swimming strong,

Penland Island is a thing of the past along with several other

landmarks like Brown Island, where we wave at lake party-goers

as they moor their pontoon boats to the island for a day of water

recreation and family picnics. By this time, several hours have

passed and I can only think that many people have already read

the morning paper, ate breakfast and gone through all sorts of

morning routines that have brought them to mid-day. So much

done by so many and yet Nelson has been full on swimming

non-stop for the entire morning. Here we are now past a large

section of lake where the recreation traffic was particularly

heavy. I can only imagine what most of these people are

thinking as they scream past on their powerboats and jet skis

when they see these three oddball figures, a man swimming in

the middle of a large lake, with a canoeist and a guy walking on

water. For real, they must have thought it a bit odd. Even so, we

did have people stop and ask what was going on, and of course

Terry being the jokester could give a straight-faced reply such

as, ―Not sure, I’m just out for a paddle and this old man

swimming keeps following me.‖ But for many it was admiration

and two thumbs up when we explained what Nelson was doing

and the cause he was doing it for. I have to say the Lake was

cheering him on this day!

A Sign From Above

I knew going into this that the lake was a recreation area but

never realized how much it was used, especially on a busy

Father’s Day weekend. It

seemed one of my main

concerns now was not even

one of my main concerns

going into this swim. As to

you recall, the three things I

thought were the big concerns

going in were nutrition, pace,

and cold water. Well forget

everything I told you. Now my sole purpose is to keep Nelson

from getting run over. I really am amazed at how many jet skis

there are on this lake. I felt like, well like a big turd and all these

flies were buzzing around just out to get a little piece. They

would come out of nowhere and buzz right by before you knew

it. It seemed to become ever more important that Terry and I

kept our swimmer in between us and to watch all flanks with me

guarding port and Terry taking charge of starboard.

Then all of a sudden what we originally figured to be a bad thing

happened and it turned out to be a sign from above that I believe

helped greatly in Nelson’s race. The storms moved in, the skies

opened up and it began to rain, and it appears that the only three

idiots that remained on the lake were a swimmer, a canoeist and

a guy walking on water.

No Help from the South

The best laid plans do not always come to be. I think I am

supposed to say something about mice and men here but I really

don’t understand that proverb so forget about that. As part of my

greater plan for support this day, I planned to have a rented

pontoon boat come from the south end of the lake and have it

meet us as we headed south. Well, even though the

thunderstorms cleared the lake, it now prevented me from

having the pontoon boat launch in such storms. No sense of

risking any more on this adventure, besides the support on the

pontoon boats was Stephanie my wife, Mikaela my 5 month old

daughter, my mother, as old as my dad, and her friend Betty,

even older than mom. I really think Stephanie was a bit thankful

for the rain and may have even had a hand drumming it up. Well

that and possibly Terry who seemed to believe some sort of

connection between it raining and Terry’s rain jacket. Long

story here but I will try to make it short. With three people left

on the lake, you know who they are, the swimmer could care

less about the rain, and he is already wet. The guy walking on

water, I was wearing a bathing suit and rash guard that were

intended to be wet. But Terry was in full on docker shorts, t-

shirt, socks and loafers, so every time it started to rain, he would

pull out his rain jacket and struggle to get it on. Once settled in

with his rain jacket in place, the rain would back off and he

would begin the struggle to get it off and tucked away neatly. Of

course this became a vicious cycle and to this day, Terry will

swear that the rain knew when he did not have his jacket on. The

point of this is no support from the south can now be expected.

Welcome to Georgia

Nelson had been going at it for many hours by this time and the

bridge at SR76 was now in sight. I could feel Nelson’s energy

pick up at this point. For one, I think he felt that he had made it

past the halfway point and was now in Georgia waters, and two,

I had called ahead to our pontoon support crew to let them know

that this was probably a great place to cheer Nelson on as he

swam past. As we approached the bridge, I had to laugh to

myself. You see, there was a small fishing boat anchored in

between the first pylons of the bridge, which would have been

the most direct route for him to swim. Now I don’t know

Nelson’s actual thought process here but instead of skirting the

boat on a direct route, he decides to head back out toward the

channel and pass under the bridge several pylons farther away. I

can only figure Nelson being an avid fisherman, he did not want

to disturb these folks chances at catching the big one or maybe

he did not want them to catch the fish of a lifetime, a 70-year-

old swimmer as he heads on his migration to the southern

spawning grounds. Anyway, I had a good laugh with that one.

As he rounded the corner, there they were — our pontoon

support crew high and dry on land cheering and clapping

encouragement. They were willing to throw some sub

sandwiches to us to eat, but at this point I think we had grown

accustomed to our regimen of 0power gel, PB&J, bananas and

oranges that we did not want to break the routine. I had Nelson

take a break for some nutrition. As I turned to straighten some

items on the board I realized that this is where Nelson was on a

mission. I had only looked away for a second and he was

already heading down the lake towards the town of Hiawassee.

Seems at this point, there is no time for rest. I have to remind

him this is not a race. Not sure if this really registers with him.

The Final Stretch

As we pass the town of Hiawassee, there are many homes and

lake cottages. I can hear the voices of people as they sit on their

decks as they look out over the lake while a steady downpour of

rain continues to fall. I can only imagine what these people must

think as a swimmer, a

canoeist and a guy walking on

water head past down the

lake. I am sure it must have

something to do with words

like crazy or idiots.

At this point, it is getting late

in the afternoon and Nelson

still has that same

determination he had as when he entered the water at 8 a.m.

Only at this point it is becoming much more evident that the

hours and hours in the water are starting to take its toll. Nelson

starts to indicate that we must be getting closer to the

headwaters because he is feeling the cold. He does not want to

admit that it may have something to do with being subjected to

cold water for close to nine hours and his core temperature is

starting to react. The body’s way of protecting its vital organs

when cold is to start shutting down non-vital parts such as legs

and arms to protect the vital parts. This is the first stage of

hypothermia and what people don’t realize is that hypothermia

is not limited to freezing temperatures. Long periods in cool

water can have the same effect. This is what Nelson was starting

to experience; the water was no cooler from where we got in at 8

a.m. as it was at this point in the swim. It was his body starting

to say enough is enough; I am going to start protecting my vital

organs.

I See the Steeple

When the swim started in the morning we left from a Chapel.

Well it is good to end at one as well. We rounded the last bend

in the lake and about a mile away, you can see standing high on

a hill the Macedonia Baptist Church Steeple. This was it, the

swim was almost over. Nelson was still moving along at a good

pace but it was clear that he had given it his all. By this time, he

had lost use of his left leg due a newly-developed groin pain, so

his breaststroke looked a little ragged. The reach on his freestyle

was not as crisp or out-reaching as it was when he first started

the day. But given all this, he was still going. At the point he

saw the church steeple, he calmly said to Terry and me that he

figures since this was the home stretch that he should probably

finish it out with a good butterfly stroke. Now, I would have

really been impressed if he actually did.

As we approached the take out point, many friends and family

were there to cheer Nelson on to finish in style. Good friend

Mark Hollis was running down the road beside Nelson yelling,

―Go ’Canes.‖ Others were also there to lend a hand as Nelson

arrived at the end of his swim only to suffer the worst injury of

the day. After all that, Nelson stubs his toe on a rock climbing

out of the lake. You have to wonder if that is all the lake could

do in return for its defeat of allowing this 70-year-old man to

swim the breadth of its waters.

Celebration

With champagne and cheers, we all gathered around in the

shadow of the steeple to congratulate Nelson on his

accomplishment. And more

importantly to reflect on the

reason for this swim, to

honor Debbie and the

challenges she has had to

face and overcome over the

years, and to raise awareness

to the Allied Services

Foundation and all it is doing

to help not only Debbie but

thousands of others who need help day to day. This was an

amazing accomplishment by dad and I hope it brings inspiration

to others that there is more to give than just money: you can give

of yourself.

For those who gave your support to this cause, thanks from all

of us.