This past Saturday, the Maryland State Police had their annual Polar Bear Plunge fundraiser for the Maryland Special Olympics. The first two, of three, plunges went off as scheduled, but the third was canceled after more than 100 people were treated for hypothermia and exposure, and more than 80 of those people were hospitalized.

This was my 12th Polar Bear Plunge/Deep Creek Dunk/Penguin Swim, and it was by far the coldest I had ever experienced. The air temperature was 22 degrees the water temperature was a balmy 37, but the wind-chill was the real killer at 5 (above 0). I was in a heated tent for most of the morning, and only ventured out into the cold 30 minutes before the plunge. We went to the beach, stripped down to our swim trunks, ran into the water, dunked, had a rescue diver take our picture, and then ran out to the heating tent. It would be generous to say we were exposed for 15-20 minutes with 10-15 of that waiting in line to get into the heating tent while wearing a coat.

While waiting in line to get into the tent my hands started to hurt, badly, and clinch up. My body was shivering under the coat and every muscle in my body was tensed up to keep from shaking uncontrollably. I reached into my pack to pull out some hand warmers, but as I opened the pack, I couldn't feel the zipper (it was weird, my hands hurt, and were numb at the same time). I found the hand warmers immediately and got them out, but by this time my hands had frozen to the point where I couldn't open a the cellophane wrapping; I just did not have enough dexterity left to tear along the seam. It really is amazing how much is taken out of you when you're cold. Even changing in the warming tent was interesting; my sense of balance, was totally kaput. I had large motor function, but only when I was running; once I stopped, everything stiffened up, and I had to concentrate to move.

Thankfully this was in a relatively controlled environment so I was able to dry off, eat some hot food, and warm back up without the need for a medic. If I were in the woods, though, I would have been in a world of hurt. I have hand warmers, survival matches, fire starter, and a Bic lighter in my hiking pack; and could not have used any of them the way I felt Saturday; my hands just didn't work. Looks like I'm adding a push-button lighter to my pack before my next hike

bob

Raising Money -- and goose bumps - Baltimore Sun

Sounds to me like y'all could use a bigger door on the warming tent if it took ten minutes to get everyone inside. Such events demand a no-waiting sort of accommodating architecture.

Best organized Polar Bear dip I've seen had a large tent, kept at about 80F with kerosene fed jet heaters, all of thirty seconds away from the water.

On the other hand avoiding hypothermia entirely would have deprived you of a valuable experience. Unless someone has experienced it it is hard to comprehend how even simple things can become near about impossible when your hypothermic. How holding a match can be a two-handed job.

The biggest revelation for me was just how profoundly it can effect the mind. How it can make just remembering what your doing, what your supposed to be doing, difficult. People joke about how they wanted to dial 911 but couldn't remember the phone number. Or how they can't remember if the red, or the black, cable hook to the negative terminal. Stuff you have mastered since you were six; your suddenly not sure of.

Hypothermia, and sleep deprivation, are the reason you seemingly brainless three item lists being used. Why the military usually sends two or three people at a time to do even simple jobs. One guy reads the list, one guy gives follows directions, and the third makes sure they stay on mission.

It is important to plan ahead and set things up and anticipate so you don't become too hypothermic to function, or remember what you have to do to survive. You set up the tent and heat up the tea before you get hypothermic. Imagine if your belated warming had been the beginning of your adventure. You fall in, get chilled and wet, and then drag yourself ashore on the verge of hypothermia with no warming tent in sight. You have a couple of minutes to build your own warming station. First prize - you live. Second prize - they find your body when the snow melts.

First, I'm glad to hear you came through OK. Second, thanks for posting this. It sounds like a real learning experience.

Glad that you came through it alright and I hope that everyone else fared as well.

I want to thank you for participating in this worthwhile event. Having been a Special Olympics Assistant Swim Coach for many years, I have come to know the tremendous self-satisfaction one receives in working with these incredible athletes. I know I have post this before, but will do so once more. If you want to know true survival, become involved with these individuals and their families. Their will to make the attempt, regardless of their ability is a shining example of the strength of the human spirit and I guarantee you will get 1,000 times more out of the experience than you put into it.

Pete

Thanks a lot for posting this, it is a great reminder of how quick you become incapacitated and helpless in the grip of hypothermia. Myself, I've never been that far out. I've been somewhat chilled and cold, but never to the point of shaking or being incapacitated. Frankly, I don't want to either... I read your description and try to learn from your experience

This is a great opportunity to revive the old finger dexterity test of hypothermia: Can your thumb and little finger touch? If not it's time to take action to heat up.

On a side related note to your ice bear swim: If you walk on ice, carry two ice picks. A pair of screwdrivers tied together with 3 feet of line is a nice and inexpensive pair of ice picks. Just hang the line over your neck and tuck the picks in a front pocket, easily accessible. A distant friend-of-a-friend just saved someones life with his pair: He saw someone walk out on thin ice and plunge through. He was able to get as close as 20 feet of where this guy was struggling for his life in icy water, tossed him the ice picks and the guy was able to self extract. You've got only a few minutes before you're totally zapped of strength in that situation. Self extraction is next to impossible without ice picks.

Thank for your post Bob, interesting adventure for a worthy cause.

Mike

That was probably quite a bit of frostnip/frost bite too.

"fun" isn't it? ( I say that with the most sarcastic of tones of voice)

I can barely touch my thumb and little finger on a good day - I'll mod that to thumb and ring

"how much is taken out of you when you are cold"--that's the lesson here.i'm out of the flood and earthquake zone's but it's that swim to shore in a cold lake that scares me.just as an aside,i don't think these swims are for everyone.people want to get involved but they should think about thing's like "body mass" or whatever before they leap in.back in the 50's and 60's it was just big guys going in on New Years to get a shot on the news,now it's everyone.

It is good to gain this experience in a relatively safe environment. You learn without the risks. Now you will be able to recognize it sooner and take the appropriate action if it happens in a not so safe environment.

Hi Bob.
People can become victims of hypothermia even in relatively mild conditions. It does not need to be in freezing water or a blizzard.
Illness or injury increases the risk a lot too.

Another thing to remember is that as your blood temperature drops you brain starts to malfunction.

IIRC, Florida has more hypothermia cases than any other state, mostly immersion hypothermias, I suppose.

I have heard of hypothermia fatalities where the official temperature never dipped below 53 F. Being wet and unsheltered from wind can get one in serious trouble