Anyone else love a good cold plunge?! Even a polar bear swim on new years day?!
YES! Me to!
Jan 1, 2023 my first polar bear swim. I had spent the summer of 2022 just going for it with things. We live right by the vedder river and spend many summer days at different beaches along the river. The kids dont hesitate they go right into that cold water. Without a thought their whole bodies are just in there swimming around. I stick my feet and and instantly prefer making a sand castle.
But I was on a mission to just try things again, to not pre think about everything so much. Just do the first thought of the thing that I want to do. I wanted to swim in the river.
So I spent that summer swimming in the river with the kids. I kept swimming and going into cold water well past thanksgiving weekend. Now I had moved from the Vedder River to Cultas Lake. I had already decided I was going to do a Polar Bear Swim New Years Day for Jan 1, 2023 and I was "training" for it.
We ended up have a very very cold winter leading up to Jan 1, 2023.
But I had decided and once I decide something that's it it will happen. We headed to Cultus lake, myself, husband and the kids. I had my beautiful brand new blush pink towel housecoat that Santa brought for me, my bathing suit on and my strap on river sandals.
Well a merely 4 degrees celsius that lake water was and I managed to get my full body into the water I could not manage it for more than 20 seconds as my feet hurt so bad. (I did come out and then try to go back in again for longer but it didn't work) The pain from the cold on my feet was unbearable.
So fast forward through another year and lead up to Christmas 2023 I had asked Santa to bring me some neoprene socks so I might be able to stay in the cold water longer.
Santa came through and a pair of these Summshall 3mm Neoprene Socks were in my stocking. Though we have had a much milder winter this year, these socks still saved my feet on Jan 1, 2024. We headed down to Cultas Lake again for a swim. I put the socks on and I was able to swim around in the water three separate times. (This time around my hands got to cold but that's because I was swimming. Next year I will just go in and stay in one spot with hands up.)
These socks were also awesome because I could walk on the rocks and lake bottom no problem, I would have been doing the zombie walk out of the lake with nothing on my feet, ouching as I navigated the little rocks. Thank you neoprene socks for keeping my feet warm and safe!
I also plan to use these while SUPing and kayaking on colder days!
Note I wear a size 8 shoe and these socks are a size Small and fit perfectly!
- Courtney McQueen
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