SANDPOINT — Ammi Midstokke and Lindsey Zembower were celebrating surviving a backpacking adventure, brainstorming their next outdoor adventure, one year ago, when Zembower had what Midstokke described as "one of those back porch bad ideas." 

"Last summer, she said, 'Well, we should swim the lake,' and I was like 'Oh yeah, that sounds fun' because I'm naive," Midstokke said.  

Both are board members of Sandpoint Alliance for Equality, and once word got out about their plan, a suggestion was made to tie the duo's adventure in with the organization's yearly Pride celebration. They agreed, and for the last year, Midstokke and Zembower have been training for a 24-hour, 32.3-mile relay swim from Buttonhook Bay to Sandpoint City Beach.

The duo's landing at City Beach on Thursday, July 9 at 5 p.m. is set to kick off the weekend's festivities in style. Residents are encouraged to welcome them back to land and will have the chance to close out the journey with them together as part of SAFE's Pride Outside program. 

Midstokke said that SAFE's program encourages representation in outdoor spaces, which serve as a common ground in North Idaho.  

"This year our Pride Outside component for Pride is this, this swim to just encourage people to be outdoors and show that the outdoor spaces really are for everyone," Midstokke said. "While we can't have the whole town swim with us, because it's such an endeavor, we've invited the whole town to come and celebrate the landing with us." 

Midstokke said the thought of the arrival party has been a massive motivating factor for her as she learns to handle the intensity of open water swimming. She said she was not a strong swimmer, like Zembower, before the idea, but has been training frequently in the local YMCA pool. 

Due to temperature concerns, Midstokke wasn't able to get into Lake Pend Oreille until June. While she said she's been very anxious about dealing with the difficulty of breathing during the swim, she's calmed down as the start of the swim approaches. 

"I've been anxious about that level of discomfort, like head discomfort and mind game discomfort, probably more than anything else," Midstokke said. "The body will do what the body does, and there I think both of us feel pretty confident. Lindsey, I think, is excited about the whole thing." 

The two are set to embark on the journey on Wednesday evening, initially taking two-hour shifts in the water in hopes of getting some sleep before the sun rises. They are set to arrive at City Beach near the Lady Liberty statue, which Midstokke said holds a message of welcoming pulled from Emma Lazarus' 1883 sonnet.  

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses to breathe free," reads the sonnet that sits on the Statue of Liberty. 

Midstokke said that in the past, these types of adventures have been for her, but this one feels different. Not just due to the teamwork required to pull this off, but she said doing this to open the Pride weekend in town makes it much bigger than her. 

"We're really out there to try to bring attention to representation and our shared resources with a broader demographic here in North Idaho, and to let people know that they are welcome in all spaces," Midstokke said. "It will be certainly worth it, and my heart will be absolutely warm when we approach." 

The festivities at City Beach, which will include the duo's landing and a 30-foot pride flag, will carry on until 7 p.m. Midstokke did warn that there will be no lifeguards on duty and that residents should enter the water as they feel comfortable.  

"We're hopeful that people come and enjoy and basically create a bit of a rainbow parade on the water as we pull into the City Beach," Midstokke said.  

Following the landing celebration, there will be a gathering at Matchwood Brewing to kick off Pride weekend. SAFE is putting on numerous events in the community, including Saturday's sixth annual Pride Festival. 

More information and a full schedule can be found on SAFE's website at safe-idaho.org/2026schedule. 

    Ammi Midstokke and Lindsey Zembower hit a power pose on the banks of Lake Pend Oreille, which they will be swimming across to open Sandpoint's Pride festivities.