I went in the Port Alberni Polar Bear Swim today.
I've never been in a polar bear swim. I don't like crowds, and the event is always very, very crowded in the Vancouver area. It wasn't quite as crowded in Port Alberni. Although I was a bit surprised at how many people did show up. But very few of them actually went in the water.
Actually, I signed up to help with registration, but, when I found somebody willing to hold my clothes, and have a towel already when I got out, and drive me home, I decided to go for it.
Port Alberni has had the polar bear swim for quite a while, in different places in the city. They didn't do it over the pandemic, and this was an attempt to get it restarted. It seems to have been a resounding success. The organizers were able to get local restaurants and businesses to provide prizes for a draw from the registrations, and a local church managed the registrations, and the Salvation Army had their emergency food truck down there, providing coffee, hot chocolate, and hot dogs. A group had a fire going at the fire pit on the beach, and they even had marshmallows there.
A lot of people came in costume. Actually, a lot of people who came in costume, didn't go swimming. In fact, it's quite possible that the number of people who actually went in the water was considerably smaller than the number of people who came down dressed in ridiculous clothing. So I guess a lot more people came for the fun of a dress up, rather than the swim itself.
I went in the water. There is even video proof that I did.
It wasn't too bad going in. Turning around and trying to get back out, I was feeling a bit of difficulty. Once I got out of the water and into the air, actually it wasn't that bad.
After the swim I was driven home, and I have been soaking in a hot bath, trying to warm up my aged, frigid, and aching bones.
No comments:
Post a Comment