Okanagan Lake Dip Challenge Week III

October 26, 2014, Paul’s Tomb, Lake Okanagan, BC

My daughter (Tabitha), niece (Anemone), sister (Miranda) and I began our 12 week challenge on Thanksgiving Day 2014. Our challenge is to take a dip in the lake, once a week, until the New Year 2015.

httpv://youtu.be/MU78U3sOfZU?list=UURbJ6OzAYhYb91or-oMr1uw

This week was a true challenge. The weather was the chilliest to date with a brisk wind. The waves looked intimidating but we managed to force ourselves into the cold water once again. I was joined by my trusty partners in the challenge, Tabitha, Miranda and Anemone (Yay! Anemone has officially joined the 12 week quest).

The trick, I find, is to shut off my mind and move in to the water on auto pilot. To prevent hypothermia, we no longer dunk our heads. We walk down the mountain (1/2 h trip), dip in the lake and then walk back up the mountain (another 1/2h); thus, wet hair would continue to drain our core heat as we climb the 1/2 h to the top.

I hope you follow along on our quest to raise awareness of the precious Canadian water systems. I’ve included an invitation to the Blue Dot movement, for those who want to contribute by ensuring clean Canadian water now and in the future.

Feel free to check out Week I and Week II of our Okanagan Lake Challenge.

We’re Okanagan Lake Dipping for two reasons:

1. Raise awareness of how valuable Canadian water is to us. We want our fellow Canadians to write their government leaders to make sure Canadian waters remain protected from human pollution and greed. 50% of the oxygen we breath comes from the ocean yet only 3% of Canadian Pacific waters are protected. Furthermore, Canadian freshwater lakes are at risk of turning into mine tailing dumping grounds. Every Canadian citizen has a voice. Let the Canadian government hear our voices on issues regarding our water. Our quest requires no money, simply action.

2. A personal challenge to keep life edgy and interesting.