New Year's Polar Bear (aka reverse "ball drop")

I rang in the New Year today by doing a polar bear dip in the frigid Ottawa River.  It was pushing minus 30 degrees here today...damn cold!  Needless to say, it was a very brief swim, and I'm going to keep this post similarly brief.  I just wanted to post a link to my profile on the event website:

http://searscanada.akaraisin.com/chillottawa2014/DanBosworth

The event raises money for the Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and for all of the kids fighting cancer there.  I find New Year's an optimistic time of year, with all of the plans and hopes for the future.  It's humbling to think of what these kids have to face in the upcoming year, and they need all the help they can get.

If you've ever gotten any useful information (or maybe even just a laugh) from reading this blog, I'd ask you to consider making a small donation to this cause through the link above.  They are accepting pledges until the end of January.  I realize that there are a lot of good causes out there, all competing for your attention and resources. But even a couple of dollars would help a tonne.

Thanks!

...And here are a few pics from the event today.

"Getting undressed (my face tells the story of how enjoyable this was)":

 "The hole in the ice":

"Getting out (as quickly as possible)":