Float

Float | Chelan, WA | December 2019

Lake Chelan’s water levels drop each winter to make room for spring snow melt. This leaves many of the resort town’s water amenities — docks, beaches, safety floats (in photo) — high and dry. One local retailer told me the lake’s ebb parallels her own retreat from the ruckus of summer’s rush. The receding waterline is a soothing balm, she said, for the bustle that consumes her for four months each year. “No tourist demands,” she said. “The only squawking comes from hungry seagulls.”