Another year has just begun, again. I still remember December 31^st 1979, it was poised to be the end of a decade, the first that I would have at least in living memory. It came and went and I went back to school on Wednesday and continued on as normal; but I remember the excitement. The 70’s were ending and would be no more. I also remember January 1^st 1999. Rather than sleeping in after a night of celebrating, I started the new year by taking a bunch of boys camping up in Manning Park in the rocky mountains of British Columbia. All the way up, the radio was playing Princes ‘1999’ over and over again and we loved every moment of it.

It was a Friday and it was cold. We set up our tents and snow caves and played in the snow. That night the temperatures plummeted and many of the boys slowly found their way into my van where I was sleeping. A few were in the early stages of hypothermia so I started up the van to warm them up and the van ended up running all night. In the morning the tank was out of gas but we put off dealing with this crisis until we could go sledding and perform various other winter scouting requirements. Finally one of the boys asked if we were done and asked if we could go home. He did not get much argument from me.

We pushed the van out of the parking lot and coasted down the mountain. At one point, we could see the lodge at the bottom of the hill and the gas station across the road. We realized that we would not make it to the gas station if we had to stop for traffic on the freeway so we let the van go and hoped for the best. We rolled to a stop just close enough so that we could get the gas in the tank and we returned the boys home. Years later, many of the boys who are now men remind me of this camp and what fun they had; adversity it seems is difficult in the moment but time heals all wounds and enriches our lives makes us the better for it.

I never turned winter camping into a news years tradition, as fun as it was, but five years ago, my wife decided that she wanted to participate in the annual new year’s day polar bear swim. Friends of ours, Lloyd and Ivy Cook, have been going for 20 year; well at least both go the beach. Ivy stays dry and warm on the shoreline while her husband races into the water. Our first year we were able to convince a few friends to join us, and we had two of our daughters tag along as well. I remember being on the shore concerned for my daughter’s safety but once I got into the water and the shear frigidness made me realize that I could always have more children. I abandoned them and raced to the bell so that I could get out of the water before my limbs broke off. Neither our friends nor our daughters returned the next year. It was, in a word, cold.

 

I missed the second year because I had just had hand surgery but the third year, January 1 2015, was cold enough that the ocean water had frozen. Volunteers did their best to break up the ice but the run into the water lacerated my legs so I learned my lesson In 2016 I wore long socks and knee pads to protect my legs. I must tell you that it is painful, but for reasons I cannot explain my wife insists on going again and again and I submissively follow her along. She maintains that I do not have to go and that I do of my own choice but let’s not quibble over semantics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fast forward to New Years day 2017. It snowed hard all day New Years Eve and the temperatures dropped well below zero over night. We spent new years eve with the Cooks as we have done for several years now. We went out for dinner and saw Star Wars Rogue One. At midnight, we all raced out side and banged pots and pans then sang the Hooky Pooky, another tradition we gratefully adopted from the Cooks. After our song, my youngest and I made a snow man. I mention this to point out that it was cold outside. Vancouver does not normally reach freezing temperatures and my wife started having second thoughts but despite her reservations, she pulled out her clothes and we got ready to take the plunge. My wife’s philosophy is that she wanted to show herself that she can do hard things. The first year she made the decision to go I was certain that it was talk and that when she saw the coldness of the day she would change her mind but change her mind she did not and plunge she did. It has become a tradition for us. I should also mention that the Cooks daughter brought along a young man last year and both my wife and I predicted that any fellow who would follow a girl into freezing water is a keeper. Jenicca and Jared Soll are pictured above, happily married.

Today the wind was blowing so, although the temperature was warmer than last year, my body was numb before we even approached the shore line. In we went, rang the bell, and spend the next few hours thawing out our feet. But we did it. What a start to the New Year. And thanks to Lloyd Cook for bringing us along. As wonderful a year 2016 was for us with a daughter embarking on a mission for our church and another daughter having a daughter and our first grandchild, I am ready for the wonders that may come in 2017.