For the past several years, amputee Mike Welsch has made it his goal to swim all of the biggest lakes of New Hampshire, and some of its smaller ones, including, this summer, Pool Pond in Rindge.
Welsch, a resident of New Salem, Mass., has long checked off the state’s biggest lakes, such as a 22-mile overnight swim in Winnipesaukee and long-distance swims in Squam and Sunapee, but is always seeking out new lakes across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.
“That’s my obsession,” Welsch said. “I love swimming the lakes. I’ve always loved athletic competition, even though most of the time, I’m just competing against myself – my own times, my own speed.”
Welsch said he has always loved sports, and swimming, since he was a child. He lost his leg in 1978 as a 19-year-old, after driving drunk on his motorcycle and being hit from behind by a police cruiser that was attempting to get him to stop. Welsch said it was a “wake-up call” for him, and he is now 35 years sober.
As an adult, Welsch has thrown himself back into athletics, in particular, long-distance running and swimming. He has participated in the Boston Marathon 11 times and the Boston Light Swim open-water 8-mile marathon seven times, as well as multiple triathlons. When he swims, he does so without a prosthetic or flipper.
He said how he approaches the long distances is the same, whether he’s biking, swimming or running – don’t worry about the finish line.
“I always say, ‘I can’t swim the whole length. There’s no way I can swim the whole length. But I can swim to that cottage. To that tree. To that rock,’ ” and eventually, that turns into miles behind him, Welsch said.
This year, in addition to Pool Pond, he swam Lake Mattawa in Massachusetts, the Laurel Lakes in Fitzwilliam and Erving, Mass., Tully Lake in Massachusetts and Lake Willoughby in Vermont.
Earlier this summer, Welsch met Steve Richards, 72, of Orange, Mass., while Welsch was swimming Lake Mattawa in Massachusetts and Richards was kayaking. Richards agreed to kayak along with Welsch as a support that day, and has since accompanied him on multiple swims throughout the summer.
“It’s an adventure,” Richards said of following Welsch on his swims.
Richards said when he heard Welsch’s story of how he lost his leg, he was particularly touched, as he has lost two friends in motorcycle crashes. He has also been a source of inspiration personally to Richards, who has heart issues that limit the type of exercise he can do.
“He’s a very inspirational guy. He can inspire anyone – he’s exceptional like that,” Richards said.
Welsch said his swims are full of moments of connection. Sometimes they are with people like Richards, or a woman on a paddleboard he met while swimming Lake Willoughby with whom he traded his stories swimming the lakes with hers about mountain-climbing. Sometimes those connections are fleeting, and sometimes they last, as it has with Richards, who has become a good friend in addition to accompanying him on his swims.
“I wish I knew him a long time ago. He’s like my best friend now,” Richards said.
Sometimes, the connection is with something much smaller, like a grasshopper he found in the middle of Pool Pond in Rindge. Rather than pass it by, Welsch stopped, gathered up the grasshopper and put it on Richards’ kayak. After some struggle, where the bug seemed determined to jump back in the water, it settled and they were able to deposit it back on shore on a birch tree.
“He’s got a heart of gold even for the smallest of creatures. My whole life, I try to respect nature, and Mike’s the same way,” Richards said.
Welsch and Richards continue to explore lakes and ponds in the area for different swims, whether swimming the length or perimeter, and plan to eventually return to Rindge to complete a swim of Pearly Pond.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.