On January 1, 2024, I joined with neighbors and other winter enthusiasts in the 41st annual Polar Bear Plunge at Birch Bay. In the center of Birch Bay Village is a large empty field known as Birch Bay Beach Park. Across the street from the park is public access to the beach that stretches from the Bay Breeze Restaurant up past the Library. The Bay is shallow and it is an area where there is plenty of water play in the summer. On New Year’s Day the community makes a party out of it. A large warming tent is erected near the park outside of Beach Cat Brewing with live music and hot cocoa. The Park District gives out free chowder and chili. There are t-shirts and certificates for those who take the plunge. I enjoyed the experience and have had fun listening to the comments about my t-shirt. The reality, however, is that I don’t wear t-shirts that often these days.

Sensing the charm of a new tradition, I took the plunge again on New Year’s Day this year. This time I paid a bit more money and got a nice hooded sweatshirt with the Polar Bear Plunge on the front. I’ve worn the sweatshirt in public more than last year’s t-shirt and I’ve gotten a lot more comments. I have every intention of making this an annual tradition. The practice of the Plunge is very simple: Get in. Get wet. Get out! There are no prizes for the length of time spent in the bay. My version is to make a complete commitment. I wade in deep enough to dive under the water to make sure that I get my whole body wet before standing up, wading back out and heading for my towel. Being wet, I’m not much for hanging around the warming tent, drinking cocoa and listening to loud music, so I head home to celebrate with a warm shower.

The practice reminds me of many times when I was growing up. Our family often took a winter trip to Chico Hot Springs in the Paradise Valley outside of Yellowstone National Park. That is the only entrance to the park that is open year round to wheeled vehicles. The road from Mammoth to Cook City is plowed during the winter and a drive across the north part of the park in winter is a great way to view wildlife. At the hot springs there is a hotel with a large outdoor swimming pool and naturally warm hot tub. We used to get good and warm in the hot tub, climb out, roll in the snow, then go back into the hot tub. The experience makes your skin tingle and the cold is soon forgotten.

Birch Bay doesn’t have any hot springs. There was a hot tub in the back yard of our home when we purchased it, but it was old and maintenance proved to be expensive and we had it removed, so I’ve substituted a warm shower for the warm part of the experience. I know it falls short of the real Scandinavian experience, but I don’t think I have much Scandinavian heritage anyway. I do have some English heritage and with it came a bit of stoic attitude. I don’t scream as I plunge into the water. I try not to shiver or show that I’m cold. I just go about my business and then head for home.

However, there is something very social about the experience even if I don’t spend a lot of time with the activities in the warming tent. Trust me, it is definitely easier to jump into the cold sea if others do it too.

In Denmark the practice is called “Vinterbadning,” which simply means winter bathing. Denmark sits on the sea lane from the Baltic Sea to the North Sea with the North Sea forming the western coast. the North Sea is colder than the Salish Sea. In winter it is 7 to 10 degrees colder for a Dane to go Vinterbadning than for me to take the Polar Bear Plunge. For the record there are no polar bears in Birch Bay except for stuffed animals and people wearing costumes.

In addition, the Danes have the tradition of the Sauna. The Danish tradition is a dry sauna, rather than the steamy chambers common in other places. They keep their saunas between 175 and 225 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s considerably hotter than my shower. While I go in for the annual plunge, I don’t think I’m up for the whole Danish Vinterbadning experience, though it seems like I’d want to try it if I ever visit Denmark.

I also recommend the practice for others. I’m not much of an evangelist when it comes to the Polar Bear Plunge, but I do like to invite others. And I have a specific invitation I’d like to issue. I know that Robert F Kennedy Jr. is only a potential nominee for Director of Health and Human Services at this point, but if he is confirmed by the Senate, I hope that he will come to Birch Bay for the Polar Bear Plunge next year. Alternatively, I’d be willing to have some of my taxes go to funding a trip to Denmark for him to go Vinterbadning. I think it would be good research. After all, Kennedy has no medical qualifications and has not let the lack of qualifications keep him from promising to “Make America Healthy Again.” I’m all in favor of being healthy, and there are a lot of people who think that cold plunging promotes health. I think that if he wants to be an effective HHS director, knowing first hand about the benefits of cold plunging might be good experience for him.

And I think doing it with Danes would enhance his experience. Those people are tough, and I think it might be good for someone in the incoming administration to know just how tough before they go too far imposing universal tariffs on the source of the majority of the US supply of insulin, hearing aids, and Ozempic. Novo Nordisk is a Danish company and US consumers will be forced into dramatic increases in the cost of health care if the tariffs are imposed.

Who knows, perhaps Kennedy could convince the incoming President to go Vinterbadning. It might be good research for all of the bluster about taking control of Greenland from Denmark.