Mon., Dec. 29, 2014

Press Poll: Taking the Plunge?

Fixture of the new year: Plungers dash out of the chilly waters of Lake Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday during the annual Polar Bear Plunge at Sanders Beach. The unofficial event, begun in 1979 by two Coeur d’Alene high school students, has grown to more than 1,000 people crowding the beach to swim or to watch. (Kathy Plonka)

File photo.

COEUR d'ALENE - It's cold and wet, but for hundreds of people the New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge has become a tradition.

And once again it is set for its traditional time and place, noon on New Year's Day at Sanders Beach.

Roughly 500 people show up every year to run into the lake, dive under, and run back out even faster. The first unofficial Polar Bear Plunge occurred Nov. 21, 1978.

According to lakecoeurdalene.com, the temperature of the lake water was 43 degrees on Dec. 5, and it should grow a little colder by Jan. 1.

Pondering posting the Mike Kennedy Polar Bear Plunge photo. Meanwhile, will you, have you, taken the plunge?

Posted Dec. 29, 2014, 8:32 a.m.