Five-year-old Axel Boline didn’t have much to say after plunging into Juneau’s icy cold ocean water on Monday afternoon.
“It was really cold,” he said. “I’m just cold.”
But for his mom, Amanda Triplett, running into the cold water with her son — alongside dozens of other people — signified the start of a new chapter.
“It is cold, that initial shock, but you come out afterward and everyone’s smiling and bundled up and it’s fun to come out and be here with the Juneau community,” she said.
More than a hundred people spent the first afternoon of the new year partaking in the Polar Bear Dip at Auke Recreation Area, a three-decade-long New Year’s tradition in Juneau.
The countdown began under cloudy skies, with temperatures in the mid-30s. At 1 p.m. sharp, the crowd of brave souls crashed into the water at Auke Bay.
For most, it was a mad scramble in and then back out to one of the handful of fires scattered across the rocky beach.
That was the case for high school students Della Mearig, Zoe Lessard and Miranda Stichert, who said they were the only three people who showed up out of their entire cross-country team. They said they didn’t mind because so many other people showed up.
“It’s so hype that everyone is here,” Stichert said.
A few people managed to wade in the water for a bit longer. Half a dozen Capital City Fire/Rescue swimmers were there alongside them, in case of an emergency.
Pete Boyd with CCFR said the rescue suits aren’t the warmest to wear in the chilly waters. But, he said it’s important to be there in case anything goes awry, and to support the community.
“It’s just really nice to get out with and show that CCFR is part of the community, that we’re here to help out everybody,” he said.
Boyd said there were no reported injuries or emergencies at the dip on Monday.
