Lay of the Land

Swimming With the Fishes

Christopher Swain is the Columbia River’s first anadromous human. The 35-year-old Portlander is swimming the entire 1,243-mile length of the river–through Class-IV rapids, hundreds of miles of slackwater behind 14 dams, and seas of cow manure. At Hanford Reach, says Swain, he breathed on one side and saw pelicans and elk, turned to the other and saw nuclear reactors. Still, he insists, "What’s most upsetting are the things you can’t see: pesticides, DDT, radioactive isotopes." Along the way he’s spoken to more than 7,000 schoolkids. "I’m not out there preaching," he says, "just passing on what I hear and see." Follow his progress at www.columbiaswim.org. –Paul Rauber