I’ve lots of pleasant memories of time spent at the lake. Unpleasant memories? Not as many, but enough to make a list. Most of these lake-related experiences were the outcome of questionable or perhaps poor judgment, and I don’t recommend anyone following in the footsteps of my folly.

While a college student, a friend and I went to my family’s lake place and had to wait longer than expected for a third friend to show up for water skiing. I suggested we continue anyway, minus the third person that allows for the legally-required spotter whose job it is to hoist an orange flag whenever the skier is down in the water.

Long Lake (aka Lake Spokane) really is a long and spacious body of water that left plenty of room, especially several decades ago, to ski away from other boaters, I reasoned.

I’d always considered uniformed officers and flashing blue lights the domain of land until that day. Seeing them behind us on the water was a surreal and sobering experience for sure. Skiing without an observer must have been a rare violation back then.

When I went to court a few weeks later hoping for a fine reduction, I had to explain to the puzzled judge what the ticket was all about.

On another occasion, a very experienced fisherman friend invited me to opening day at Amber Lake in eastern Washington’s channeled scablands. I had no cause not to trust him when he explained that with a limit of seven fish, our boat of three anglers could bring in 21 in total. Sounded law-abiding to me.

The third member of our group had a very poor day fishing. When we returned to shore with our 21 fish, we were met by a game warden who’d been watching us with binoculars.

Who had a poor rest of the day was quickly reversed. Being clearly in the wrong yet not an intentional poacher, I didn’t bother going to court and mailed the full fine amount.

Once, while slalom skiing on the lake-like reservoir waters of the Snake River, I fell, rolling across the surface after my ski came off.

By freak chance, my foot struck the rogue ski, breaking my fifth metatarsal. I was in a cast for several weeks. Certainly an item for the unpleasant list, but the potential for much worse occurred one beautiful day at Loon Lake.

Alone on a floating dock, I determined it might be fun to dive under it and swim from one side to the other. Once again my foot played a lead role in a lake-based misadventure when it somehow got caught in some chicken wire on the underside of the dock and I got caught underwater.

Inspecting how best to extricate my foot may have been the most rational reaction, but instead I panicked, kicking and thrashing. A knee-jerk, impulsive response is not how I usually operate, but in this case it was. My foot, thankfully, came loose before my lungs gave out and I swam free.

Is jumping from a boat at full throttle by thrill-seeking high school students poor decision-making? Definitely. Even when we did it years ago.

Lifelong friends Mike and Dave Dixon and I deduced that when jumping from a boat you have full control over how you enter, unlike falling when water skiing. Our reasoning resulted in this activity making both the questionable lake activity and pleasant memories list, depending on the day.

Best/worst technique—the cannonball. Mike once suffered the biggest loss on one of his jumps not from the boat but from the end of the dock—taking flight from the dock with his wallet on him. The murky water made finding it impossible that day.

My father eventually sold the family lake place, and one day he called, asking if I’d stop by the house of the couple who bought it. I lived a few blocks away and walked over. They handed me a worn wallet that had spent 20 years at the lake bottom.

My unpleasant list remained the same, but Mike’s was reduced by one.

James P. Johnson was born, raised, and is a longtime resident of the Inland Northwest. His newest book, “Spokane and Coeur d’Alene Freshwater Shark Attacks,” came out March 2022.

Find more Way Out There column stories in the OTO archives.

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Children who snow ski and bike ride independently typically have the right mix of physical skills and character traits to learn how to water ski, including good balance, muscle strength, bravery, determination, and enthusiasm for new challenges. With progressive instruction and specialized gear, teaching them to water ski is easier than you may think.

Gear: Trainer water skis have one or more removable stabilizer bars and a wide design to help novice skiers “pop” out of the water. A dual-handle rope is secured to the front stabilizer bar and while the child holds one handle, an adult holds the other while standing in the back of the boat. When the skier falls, the adult simply lets go. A correctly fitted, Coast Guard-certified PFD is required.

Dry Land Training: Familiarize a child with wearing water skis and holding the rope handle while being pulled over a grassy surface. Watch YouTube videos for some DIY help from parents who are experienced water skiers and have successfully taught their own young children to ski, such as Kent Wallace, Seth Stisher, and pro water skier Glenn Campbell.

Shallow Water Training: Simulate a boat tow by running through shallow water with the rope. This allows the child to experience how it feels to ski on top of water, tips up and body leaning back with knees slightly bent.

Deep Water Training: Good weather and pleasant water conditions are essential for creating the best possible first experience. Visit a smaller lake that allows motorized boats or find a small bay in a larger lake to be away from other boat traffic and minimize waves. For pulling a child water skier, the boat speed should be seven to 10 mph. Be sure to read and follow all ski manufacturer instructions and warnings. The collaborative teamwork of four adults is needed: a boat driver, an adult in the water (wearing a PFD) to assist the child with the tucked-knee start position, and two more adults in the boat with one holding the tow rope and the other holding the safety flag.

A small bay allows the adult in the water to watch the action and be protected from other boat traffic. When the ski boat circles back around, and the child is ready for a rest, the tow rope can be released after the boat slows and the child is near the parent in the water. Eventually, the child should be comfortable and skilled enough to start in the water without hands-on assistance.

For children not yet ready for actual water skis, there are inflatable ski trainers. These simulate the water ski experience by allowing a child to either sit or stand, totally out of water, to practice balance and stability while being pulled behind the boat’s wake. It’s essentially tubing with a water ski posture.

While my son got up on water skis after his third attempt, he only stayed upright for about 100 feet before falling over. It was the end of summer and we couldn’t try again until the following July. He was taller and stronger by then, and surprised us by getting up on his first attempt. Thereafter, our family’s boat days were more exciting and adventurous – the best type of summer days. //

Amy Silbernagel McCaffree enjoys sharing stories that inspire people to be more active and adventurous. She contributed several stories to the Summer Adventure June issue.

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