Taking the Plunge

While some were getting ready to go back to work after the bustle of the holidays, a handful of others started the New Year off with a brisk dip in Flathead River on Monday.

The unofficial Riverside Polar Bear Plunge was held in Polson, where about 60 people ran into the lake.

Polson residents Dave and Connie Bull have “instigated” the event for the last 20 years, and jump in the water with the crowd.

“Some people, it’s on their bucket list,” Dave said, adding that others who participate do so for years and “get hooked.”

Typically, he said that participants run into the water at the boat launch/dock area at Riverside, but due to ice this year, it was held down the shoreline.

The water, he said, was a refreshing 34 degrees.

People as young as 5 and as old as 86 have taken part in the plunge in the past, Bull said.

“There’s a euphoria that goes with it,” he said, as he began to explain what helps get people through the event.

“The first thing you want to think about is not to think about it,” he started, adding, “you’ve got to think about it and ‘get ‘er done.’”

Bull said that having a swarm of people around jumping in the frigid water helps.

“It is cold, you know it’s going to be cold, but the excitement gets to you. The fun is overwhelming. It takes over,” he concluded.

This year, Monica Cleveland, 21, and her friend, Amanda Harrod, 22, both of Polson, chose plastic oversized-sunglasses to go with their beach attire.

The friends have done the jump before, together three years ago.

“She made me do it,” Harrod said of Cleveland, as the women laughed with their families, blankets in arms.

Cleveland said she usually does the jump each year, while Harrod said that this is the first time in a few years she’s been able to participate.

When asked why they do the plunge, Cleveland said “for the New Year.”

Each agreed that having a good costume helps going into the freezing water a bit easier.

Perched on the dock was a family of four, bundled in layers of warm clothing, who took a break out of sled riding to watch the crowd.

Kinzee, 7, Kloee, 10, and their parents Ben and Karee Takes Horse, decided to take a breather and watch the event unfold.

“We were snowed in for a couple days,” Karee said, adding that the family got cabin fever.

Bull commented that sometimes, family and friends have a good time just watching the plunge.

“The spectators have as much fun as the participants. They can’t imagine doing it,” he said with a laugh.

People lined up above the snow- and ice-covered shore, most with cameras and smart phones in hand, to capture their loved ones seeking the thrill of dunking themselves in the water.

“It happens so quick,” Bull said.

The plunge was over in less than 10 minutes.

This year, while the main event was at 1 p.m., he noted that a group of six people jumped in the lake at about 12:30 p.m., while another group of eight members went at 1:30 p.m.

Some years, Bull said that the plunge is held multiple days in addition to the New Year’s Day tradition, to help accommodate schedules of others.

The “advertising” is largely word-of-mouth, with an advertisement in local media outlets.

The Raven hosts plunge in Woods Bay

WOODS BAY — Steve McCurry had only one explanation on his motive to partake in the Polar Bear Plunge Monday at The Raven Bar in Bigfork.

“Wim Hof,” he said. “He thinks that the ice water is good for you.”

Aside from trying to recalibrate himself and put Hof’s theories to the test, McCurry admitted there was another interior motive for why he was doing this.

“I just wanted to prove my girlfriend and my friends wrong,” McCurry said. “This was for bragging rights.”

McCurry said the water wasn’t “that bad” even though none of the contestants braved out the water on the Flathead Lake for more than five minutes.

“The water wasn’t that bad and getting out and stepping on the cold ground was OK,” McCurry said.

Missoula resident Melanie Morris said she was “encouraged” to take the plunge.

“I had a bad influence standing next to me that suggested it,’ Morris said. “When he said suggested to do it I said ‘yeah, why wouldn’t I do that?’”

Morris admitted the experience of jumping into the cold water was “cold.”

“It was really cold and it took my breath away,” Morris admitted.

Morris, who had never participated in the plunge before said she didn’t regret the experience.

“Oh yeah, I would do it all over again,” Morris said.

Steve Allen-Shinn, originally from Colorado, said he chooses to “take the plunge” because he is simply “crazy.”

“I’ve always been crazy,” said Allen-Shinn. “My daughter, who did it out of empiricism, said she was going to do it and I said, ‘sure I’ll do it, too.’”

Allen-Shinn said he initially wasn’t bothered by the experience.

“I don’t know if it bothered me because I am kind of numb,” he said. “It doesn’t bother me at this point but I am sure it will later.”

Deb Sullivan, the search leader of the Flathead Search & Rescue, said it generally takes about 30 minutes to experience hypothermia.

“There is this guy that refers to himself as “Dr. Popsicle,” and he said you won’t experience hypothermia for as long as 30 minutes in cold water,” Sullivan said. “If you are in the cold water, it is important to control your breathing and not panic. It is quite amazing people can stay in the (cold water) for quite some time if they keep themselves in control and don’t panic.”