Local swimmers plan to cross the Columbia
Individuals who intend to participate in the "Roy Webster Columbia River Cross-Channel Swim" are reminded in the registration materials that the event is not a race. Instead, it's an opportunity to swim approximately 1.1 miles across the Columbia without any threat of an oncoming barge or other river traffic. The canal is temporarily closed on Labor Day for the early morning event. Swimmers are asked to arrive by 5:45 a.m., at the Hood River Visitor Center. The swimming begins after participants jump from a sternwheeler.