You Can Do Hard Things

Photo Credit: Ken Mignosa

“You Can Do Hard Things” Amy Appelhans Gubser’s journey to becoming the first person to swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands

When we think of people achieving what has never been done before, we may picture them as devoting their entire lives to that goal. We may think of them as possessing god-like abilities or unbelievable talent in order to get the job done.

The reality, though, is that many people who set records or reach never-before-seen heights are actually “regular” people. What they do possess are heightened levels of determination, drive, dedication and passion for their activity of choice. These are the traits that make otherwise “ordinary” people stand out as extraordinary.

Amy Appelhans Gubser, a 55-year-old nurse, grandmother, and the first person to swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands off the coast of California, is one such person. 

Swimming: A Lifelong Pursuit

Appelhans Gubser has called the water home since she was a child,. She spent her summer days in Illinois at the local pool for swim team and open recreational swimming to beat the heat.

When her family moved to California, Appelhans Gubser walked onto the competitive junior lifeguards team. By beating all of the existing junior lifeguards in an open water swim she earned respect. That didn’t just come from  fellow lifeguards but the team coaches as well.

Appelhans Gubser elevated her swim career even further by swimming for the University of Michigan. It was at UoM where she says swimming became frustrating while simultaneously leaving her wanting more.

“I left a lot in the pool [in college] and didn’t succeed like I had wished. I was just kind of flat in college [when it came to swimming] and I didn’t perform like I wanted to,” Appelhans Gubser says. “But my coach always told me ‘you’re a distance swimmer,’ and that has stuck with me – that period of my life was one of the things I think I needed to get me ready for my swim to the Farallon Islands, all these years later.”

When Appelhans Gubser graduated from the University of Michigan, it would be 24 years before she would dip her toes back into a pool again.

It wasn’t until Appelhans Gubser was cajoled into returning to swimming – and open water swimming at that – by a friend that she rediscovered her love of the water.

“At first, I had a panic attack when I joined my friend for an open water swim,” Appelhans-Gubser says. “But all of the sudden, my body warmed up and every cell came alive. And I came home that day and told my husband that I wanted to go back tomorrow!”

A Once-In-A-Lifetime Swim, Years in the Making

Since that fortuitous day when Appelhans-Gubser made her return to regular swim training, she knew she wanted to solo swim to the Farallon Islands.

“Where I live in California it’s such that when the weather is clear, I can look out over the coast and see the Farallon Islands,” Appelhans Gubser says. “They’re creepy. They’re weird. I love the history of them; they chewed up ships, they’ve hosted Shark Week film crews.”

Appelhans Gubser was no stranger to the Farallon Islands when she began planning her solo swim; she had done a two-way relay to the islands and back to the Bay Area in 2015 – a total of about 30 miles – but was well-aware that no one had been able to complete the Golden Gate Bridge-to-Farallon-Islands swim route solo. 

Once Appelhans Gubser got it in her head to become the first person to swim to the Farallon Islands from the Golden Gate Bridge, she built up a resume of long, cold open water swims to prepare herself. 

Appelhans Gubser is also a registered nurse, which meant that much of her training was done at 5 a.m. in the dark and misty Bay Area mornings. She was limited to swimming in the black San Francisco Bay with just a friend following her silently in a kayak to ensure her safety.

The grandmother and nurse was forced to be patient as six years of poor conditions and a pandemic sidelined her dream.

“The year 2018 was the first I wanted to do the swim, and the weather was bad. Then, in 2019, the weather was not ideal again,” Appelhans-Gubser says. “Then there was COVID for multiple years and it wasn’t a great time to plan the swim. Finally, this year everything came together.”

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The Record-Breaking Swim

During Appelhans Gubser’s 17-hour swim to the Farallon Islands, she says she had to “acknowledge all of the variables,” which included recognizing that sharks can and would be around her during the swim. Her support crew saw two half-eaten seals floating in the water near the Farallon Islands that they only mentioned after the fact.

Appelhans Gubser says she was forced to “compartmentalize everything.” She did this because the day she chose to do the swim was extremely foggy. It was so bad that she could hardly see her hand as it moved through the water.

“It was sensory deprivation for 17 hours,” the record-holder says.

You Can Do Hard Things

There were a lot of obstacles in Appelhans way. Sensory deprivation, cold, fog, and fear to name a few. Sharks and the exhaustion associated with this swim cannot be ignored. Swimming 30 miles in one of the most dangerous open water locations in the world makes it even harder. Despite all of that, Appelhans Gubser achieved it.

Speaking with Appelhans Gubser, she is pragmatic about her achievement. She set a goal and understood what it would take to achieve the goal. From there she planned her route and strategy carefully. After that she was exceedingly patient for the right conditions to arrive to give her the best chance at reaching her goal.

On paper, it seems like a simple formula to follow. Unfortunately, life can become messy, trying, and can fill one with doubt. 

Appelhans Gubser brushes away those considerations with one mantra that she has used for years: “You can do hard things.”

“As I would get into the cold water at 5 a.m. to train for this swim before a nursing shift – or even knowing that I only slept four hours after a nursing shift before completing the swim to the Farallon Islands, I would say to myself, ‘you can do hard things,’” Appelhans Gubser says. “I want people to know that if you dig deep, you can do hard things. It’s when we get so wrapped up in our heads that we quit.”

“If you break down a goal into smaller pieces, you can achieve it,” Appelhans Gubser says. “I want people to consider that their inner strength is so much deeper than they realize. They have no idea all they can achieve – especially when the only option is to get it done and fight to the finish.”

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