“Difficulties are just things to overcome, after all.”

– Ernest Shackleton(polar explorer whose ship Endurance was slowly crushed by pack ice).

Despite huge online interest totaling to thousands of hits, participation in the inaugural meeting of the New Orleans Polar Bears was limited to a tight pack of brave men. It’s difficult to rally a team into figuratively uncharted waters(the waters were literally charted). For some reason, a lot of people travel or have other plans on Xmas day that don’t involve freezing your ass off in America’s largest seawater lake.

Our crew:

Stephen(as game as it gets).

Dave(keeping our coasts clear one Starbucks straw at a time).

Clayton(totally sponsored).

Kennedy(side-sipper).

Chris(the British dude: for diversity).

Jason(dropping towels like it’s Christmas).

Pedro(ready to f some s up with his d)

Beck(photographer and “cold expert”).

All pioneers share one ideal. Their potential for success outweighs their fear of failure. This endeavor was not for the meek. In fact, the meek did not attend. The bold swimmers were joined only by carfuls of spectators that came to witness history.

We convened in the parking lot by the “tailgates” of our vehicles in the same way that fanatics of professional football contests are known to do. Before the celebration ritual, we consumed icy cold suds that bore a semblance to the frothy winter sea in which we would soon be baptized.

Stephen surveys the coast. Words on a sign are meaningless to us if they stand in the way of freedom.

The preparation is over. Now comes the moment when a switch is flipped and the past cannot be rewound like so many DVR’d episodes of Repo Games. Dave gestures “WTF?” as if to say, “World Taekwondo Federation.”

The time is nigh. For centuries, man has yearned to bathe in the brackish waters of Pontchartrain on the Yuletide feast, but has lacked the stones to actually get in the drink. All change happens in one instant. It’s the decision making that leads to that one instant that is challenging.

ATTACK!

I’m no stranger to frothy waters, but these salty waves tingled my skin and heightened my senses. I cannot help but feel that I was not alone in my sentiments.

The sea encapsulated us like a Snuggie™ crafted from new fallen snow. Nothing else existed in the world during our brief time in the frigid waters.

Back safely on land, we rejoiced in the spirit of Noel and shared a brotherhood that would last for hours.

The bone-chilling experience not only brought several wayward men together, it also launched a tradition as deep and storied as the birth of Jesus himself.

Make this New Year count.

Happy Holidays from NOadventure.

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