New Year's dip refreshes revellers
Ridge Meadows Outdoor Club put on its annual Jan. 1 event
A group of outdoor enthusiasts tested out the waters at Alouette Lake on the first day of the year. The Polar Bear Swim is put on by the Ridge Meadows Outdoor Club every year and attracts participants from across the Lower Mainland.
Photograph by: Maria Rantanen , TIMES
Alouette Lake is where diehard polar bear swimmers take their New Year's dip.
It's colder than the one at English Bay and the one in White Rock, according to Elaine Attew who ran into the lake at Golden Ears Provincial Park at noon on the first day of 2013.
"Here it's cold in summer, never mind in winter," Attew said.
The Maple Ridge resident missed an all-you-can-eat brunch with friends this New Year's to take part in the annual swim put on by the Ridge Meadows Outdoor Club.
About 100 people gathered before noon at the boat launch at Alouette Lake to cheer on the approximately 20 people who dipped into the freezing water.
This was the second year Bruce Hay took part in the Polar Bear Swim. The Maple Ridge resident is originally from Trinidad, so the water seemed especially frigid.
"It was cold, freezing, but bearable," Hay said.
Before the humans went into the water, several dogs were already swimming, apparently not fazed by the chilly temperature.
A group of outdoor enthusiasts tested out the waters at Alouette Lake on the first day of the year. The Polar Bear Swim is put on by the Ridge Meadows Outdoor Club every year and attracts participants from across the Lower Mainland.
Photograph by: Maria Rantanen , TIMES
