On New Year’s Day, when many people are easing into January with hot coffee and warm layers, hundreds of others will be running straight into icy water at Lake Wallenpaupack — by choice.
The annual Lake Wallenpaupack Polar Plunge returns Jan. 1, raising money for the volunteer rescue dive teams of the Ledgedale and Tafton Fire Companies.
“Lake Wallenpaupack Polar Plunge is one of our major fundraisers for both dive teams,” said Joe Sledzinski, dive captain with the Ledgedale Volunteer Fire Company. “We’re a total volunteer organization. When we’re not training, we’re out there fundraising. Fundraising is probably half of the effort of the whole deal.”
Lake Wallenpaupack spans about 5,700 acres and stretches roughly 12 miles long, making it the second-largest lake contained entirely within Pennsylvania. While it’s known for boating, fishing and recreation, Sledzinski said emergencies happen more often than many people realize.
“We respond from A to Z,” he said. “From something as simple as somebody dropping their keys in the water to somebody overboard on a boat, which unfortunately happens way too often.”
Because of the lake’s size and multiple access points, locating an emergency can be one of the biggest challenges.
“When we get a call, the first thing we have to determine is where on the lake it is,” Sledzinski said. “If something happens out in the middle of the lake, please drop your anchor right where it’s at. You’ll never get us back on the spot if you don’t.”
While summer brings the heaviest use, the dive teams also respond during the colder months. There are no seasonal restrictions on boating, though life jackets are required after mid-October.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had calls in the middle of winter or early spring where people should have had them on and didn’t,” Sledzinski said. “When you fall in cold water, you lose your warmth 25 times quicker than you do in air. Hypothermia sets in real quick. Your strength just depletes.”
The rescue dive teams are entirely volunteer-run, and the cost of maintaining equipment and training is significant. Sledzinski said outfitting a single diver can cost about $10,000.
“We take that burden on ourselves,” he said. “Without the support of our local community, that just couldn’t happen. A lot of people don’t understand what they have there until it’s needed.”
Organizers typically see between 400 and 700 people attend each year. For many participants, the plunge is about more than just braving the cold.
“It’s like washing away everything that happened last year and starting fresh,” Sledzinski said. “This is the best baptism of water you’re ever going to get — and it’s as cold as it’s ever going to be.”
Registration is available online at www.paupackpolarplunge.com or in person on the day of the event. Participants receive a complimentary T-shirt, and those who decide not to jump in after registering won’t be judged.
“We won’t tell anybody,” Sledzinski said with a laugh.
Image Credit: Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau