HOLDEN, Maine — Sunday's forecast may have felt milder for most, but not for the group in their swimsuits and snow boots on Phillips Lake in Holden at high noon.
With their toes hanging off the edge, the first two "polar plungers" hesitated for more than a minute before facing the chilly lake water of early March.
Eventually the ladies made their plunge for a cause benefiting Camp CaPella, and others followed suit.
"I was expecting I guess exactly what I got," said Lauren Tardy, a student at Brewer High School. "An overcoming of a freezing sensation and numbness I guess."
Some people brave the cold, icy water every year.
Tardy braved the chill on Sunday to take her first dip together with her friend, Rachel Rivers.
"'Do you want to do something crazy with me,'" recalled Tardy, of the question Rivers asked of her only a week ago. "I was like sure. I guess so."
Rivers also took the icy dip for the first time Sunday.
"I'd heard of it and I'd heard people do it all the time but I never once thought, I kept thinking it was crazy," said Rivers, a Junior at the University of Maine.
"Here we go," exclaimed Tardy through laughter."I'm going to jump in a frozen lake with you!"
Tardy and Rivers quickly learned that coming out of the lake feels a lot better than jumping in.
"I felt my toes again," exclaimed Tardy.
"I was actually really hot in my coat so I had to just wear a sweatshirt after [I jumped in the lake,]" said Rivers.
She raised $405 for Camp CaPella just a couple of weeks ahead of Sunday's dip.
"If every single person here raised that [much money] that would be a lot of money," added Rivers.
A lot of money to support Camp CaPella's mission and help send kids of all abilities to camp regardless of their family's ability to pay.
"We wanted to raise money for the disabled kids to come to Camp CaPella," said Tardy.
Tardy and Rivers know the importance of the camp experience firsthand because they are each other's camp friend.
"We actually go to camp every year so it's only fair for them to come to camp too," added Tardy. "Everyone should have that fun experience."
"The camp that we go to, it's really small and it's really close knit," said Rivers. "We're all like family basically and whenever there's any problems during the year and not during the summer, I always feel like I can go to my camp people. I just love them all. We all love each other. I think that everyone needs that experience even if they can't afford it."
As for their opinions on the polar dip, Tardy and Rivers say it's something they would easily do again.
"Everybody should definitely participate in this," said Rivers. "This is awesome. It's for such a good cause, so why not."
"Bring the right footwear, I guess," added Tardy through laughter.
Before anyone took a dip on Sunday, more than $10,000 had already been raised for Camp CaPella in online donations from the fundraiser. That's already higher than last year's total.
Camp staff expect that number will be closer to $15,000 after adding the donations that came in on Sunday during the polar dip.