At sunrise Tuesday, Sept. 2, Shane Schieffer will step into the waters of Lake Powell at Glen Canyon Dam in northern Arizona.
Ten days later, if all goes to plan, Schieffer will emerge from the reservoir at the Hite Crossing Bridge 140 miles northeast, where Lake Powell ends and the Colorado River resumes.
If he accomplishes his goal, the Aspen, Colorado, resident will become the first person to swim that distance in the second-largest reservoir in the country.
He will not be the first person to tackle a major endurance swim in Lake Powell. Sarah Thomas swam over 80 miles in a nonstop, 56-hour crossing from Bullfrog to Wahweap in 2016, setting the world record at the time for longest unassisted open-water swim.
Schieffer’s swim won’t adhere to the official standards set by the Marathon Swimmers Federation; instead, he said he’s “out for a big, long adventure.”
Schieffer swam in high school, but prior to training for this swim, he said he hadn’t swum regularly for 18 years. His idea to swim the length of Lake Powell began on a whim while he was sea-kayaking with friends.
“There was a small group of us, and one of the members said, ‘Can you imagine crossing this whole thing in one of these sea kayaks?’” he said. “And my response was, ‘I think it’d be really neat to swim across this thing.’ It was kind of a flippant response, but I think it planted a seed.”
To train for the swim, Schieffer used an upright climbing machine to build upper-body strength.
Then he headed to the pool.
“I went out and did a 10-hour swim that was in a 25-yard pool,” he said. “I did 1,250 flip turns in 10 hours in my local pool – 17.5 miles.”
Now, it’s time for Schieffer to take to the open water. He plans to swim 10 hours every day, pausing to sleep at night or if conditions get risky.
Tethered to his waist throughout the journey will be a stand-up paddleboard loaded with 215 pounds of gear, including a sleeping bag, an emergency life jacket and plenty of snacks.
He’ll also be joined by one other person for safety, who will be in an inflatable raft rigged up with an electric trolling motor.
Schieffer said this adventure marks “a lot of firsts,” but he’s confident in his backcountry experience. He said he’s looking forward to testing his limits.
“As I’m coming close to turning 50, I realized I haven’t taken the time before to go do one of these really big things,” he said. “And I guess, really, that’s my ‘why.’ It’s my chance to kind of return to what gives me energy and feeds me.”
Schieffer is documenting his swim on social media.
