As I try to build out this journal with bit and pieces of who I am and want to share with the world, it’d be remiss of me to leave out my affinity for cold plunging. I often think of my Instagram page as the best way to get to know who I am. And if you have followed along on social media for a while, you know that I’ve shared my daily dipping habit for close to two years. So in thinking of what I wanted to write about this week, I thought about two things; cold plunging, and dreaming of spring. In the end I decided there was plenty of time to talk seeds, spring ephemerals and chartreuse green, and settled on my cold plunging journey.

Thanksgiving dip, Crystal Lake, November 2022

For years prior to dipping on the regular, I was always ready for the rush I got from my first cold river dunk of the year in early April. Freezing cold! Exhilarating! And more than that, it provided a reset to my thoughts and clarity that I hadn’t been able to find elsewhere. In March of 2021, a few friends and I committed to dipping at least monthly for a year. Each cold dip I did rejuvenated me like nothing else could and it left me wanting to do it more and more often. As the year mark came around I found myself going more frequently than just monthly and since March 29, 2022 I’ve gone daily. I didn’t have a goal in mind, just that I craved that moment of clarity post cold dip and time spent quietly at the river.

Once warmer weather prevailed, quick dips became long river hangs; lazily swimming against the current, chatting with friends, and watching children jump from rock to rock. I found myself going upstream more often to find the extra cool water, and perhaps a little solitude. After a spring of having the river to myself I found it hard to share sometimes. But as summer faded into fall, and even the heartiest of regular river dippers fell away, I had the river to myself once again.

People often ask what benefits I’ve seen during my almost two years of dipping. Besides the benefits that occur from a daily self care routine, the biggest benefit I’ve noticed is my general immunity and ability to fight off illnesses better. I’ve struggled my entire life with my sinuses, strep throat, and ear infections. I will typically get sick 3-4 times a year, and when I do I’m fully congested and unable to breath for a full two weeks. Since dipping routinely I’ve found that both the frequency and duration of my colds have decreased. For someone so plagued by illness, that in itself is enough to make me continue to dip on a regular basis.

As I approach two full years of dipping I’m still not sure when I’ll feel the desire to stop. With the extreme weather Vermont has seen in the past two years, high dangerous water has almost thwarted the streak more than once. I think too that with more temperate winters, I’ve been able to access the river with minimal effort. If we had those typical Vermont winters of the past, with a weeks of sub zero temps, it would be virtually impossible to keep a hole open to dip. My current plan is to just keep going until I don’t. No plans to stop just yet.

That being said I’m excited for the upcoming weeks, and months ahead- tomorrow, February 26th will mark day 700, February 29th will be my first Leap Day dip, March 29th will mark 2 years, and on April 8th Vermont will see a total solar eclipse.

Cold Plunges

Broccolini Galette