This morning I was able to check something off the list of things I've always wanted to do: the Polar Bear Plunge! For those who are unfamiliar with it, a hole is cut into the ice of a frozen lake and then crazy people jump in to the freezing cold water. Today's event was a fundraiser for the Special Olympics and my friends Kelly and Mark graciously allowed me to join their team of jumpers from the Minneapolis PD. There were almost 1000 jumpers today and actually there have been several jumps held at various locations around the state this year. I must say, I've never been so cold in my life! Most of us jumped in t-shirts and shorts, and though the air temp was probably around 32 there was a little breeze which made it feel colder. The team I was on had about 20 people and since only 10 could jump at a time, we were split into two groups. I jumped with the second group: we all jumped in at once, and of course I was told it really doesn't "count" unless you go all the way underwater, so of course I had to do it "right". The water was only about waist-deep and there was a mad dash for the ladder to climb out and run to the waiting hot tubs. The lake was so cold, as soon as I jumped in I literally could not inhale again until I was in the hot tub. Though it was a lot of fun and I'm glad I did it, I don't know that I'll be signing up to do it again next year! Mark and Kelly are a lot braver than I am to do it more than once! I'll try to post a video but at the moment am having technical difficulties. :)
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