13 days til the annual Chicago Polar Plunge that takes place at Oak Avenue Beach. I plunged for the first time last year and it was an oddly warm day and this year it’s expected to between 12 and 24 degrees.

The Chicago Polar Plunge is an annual winter tradition that was born in late 2001 when Brian Marchal created The Lakeview Polar Bear Club. He was new to Chicago and thought it would be a good way to meet people. On January 1st, 2002, the humble beginnings of LPBC started with a group of three people jumping into Lake Michigan. And now twenty plus years later, the Chicago Polar Bear Club has evolved into over 5,000 participants raising over $650,000 for a variety of charities. #DaretoCare

Last year was a great experience. I was filled with nervous anticipation with the upcoming plunge. My prep throughout the year was a lot of cold showers which were actually colder than the lake on the actual day of the plunge. Luckily the sun was out, and it was a beautiful day. It was cool to see families with young kids and so many fun costumes. My wife, son and daughter in law came out to support me and that felt great.

I do think I will do the Chicago Polar Plunge this year and if all goes well my two sons will join me. Here are a couple photos from last years’ experience.

Came across this old photograph of me at the Grateful Dead show at Soldier Field in 1995. I was 27 at the time. It was Jerry Garcia’s last Chicago show. I’ve been to so many Grateful Dead and Dead & Company shows throughout the years, and all have been such fun experiences with incredible music. And recently, my brother took me to the Dead & Company show at The Sphere in Las Vegas and the photos and video here are from that show. 

To make you laugh, I had my cell phone on the chair next to me recording The Sphere show. Left the venue and forgot my phone. To my amazement, The Sphere found my phone in the exact same spot. After I logged in to prove it was my phone, they charged it for me until I caught my flight. And yes, it recorded me and my brother and nephew leaving the show.