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Making the Most of Bad Conditions

Liam McGee and John Borick look over the horizon for surfable waves.

I peek out of my tent, the hood of my sleeping bag cinched tightly around my face. Water drips off the nylon ceiling and occasionally catches the tip of my nose or an exposed cheek. My fault for being too lazy to put on a rainfly. Outside, a dense fog wraps the central California coastline. The sun won’t rise for another hour, and the predawn light barely penetrates the veil of water droplets. But, to hell with it, I’m already awake. And we chanted “surf trip” for the whole 12-hour drive here, I’m bound by duty to get out.

I force my way out of my soggy sleeping situation and cram myself into a wetsuit, which I’d left out to dry on a nearby picnic table. Thanks to that pesky fog, it’s equally soggy. And cold.

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  • Making the Most of Bad Conditions
    |

    Making the Most of Bad Conditions

    I peek out of my tent, the hood of my sleeping bag cinched tightly around my face. Water drips off the nylon ceiling and occasionally catches the tip of my nose or an exposed cheek. My fault for being too lazy to put on a rainfly. Outside, a dense fog wraps the central California coastline.…

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