Freezin' For A Reason

A beautiful day for a swim

When was the last time you thought about jumping into a frozen lake while wearing a costume? I (Jessica) have to admit for a split second I considered it. And in fact the locals here aren't completely crazy because it was for a good cause. Every year the Special Olympics Alaska raises money at their Polar Plunge on Goose Lake. While we didn't take the plunge we did go out to support some of my coworkers who did. Even without getting in the water this was the coldest I've been since moving to Anchorage. Negative 4 degrees is quite toe biting when you're standing waiting for your team's turn. Our little Canon camera felt the same and insisted that the battery was dead after a few minutes of videoing. Thankfully our SLR is much more resilient and had no trouble performing even though the view lens fogged when you placed your eye next to it. It was a memorable experience complete with free soup from Qdoba and a truck from Ice Road Truckers honking when each group jumped. Many safety precautions where taken for the participants including lifeguards in dry suits, firefighters helping the jumpers out of the water and hot tubs inside heated tents.