We’re more than halfway through winter and it still looks like spring around here. What’s with all this rain?

I’ve got day lilies that are convinced it’s spring and are poking up their green tops next to the deck! They’re in for a shock, though, because the temperature has plummeted back to “seasonable” levels.

Last Friday, like a whale to its winter feeding grounds, I returned to Passamaquoddy Bay for my fourth cleansing. It was the sixth annual Polar Bear Dip to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Bangor. The students at Washington County Community College had rallied some 125 folks from all corners of the state to join them for the dash and splash in the chilly waters of the bay for a winter dip. The dippers, by the way, raised some $15,000 this year, bringing the six-year total to more than $100,000.

If you haven’t ever taken the wintry plunge, you owe it to yourself to try it once. There are people of all ages who do and come away revitalized, despite the naysaying that nonplungers utter under their breaths.

This year’s air temperature of 36 degrees and water temperature of 38 degrees sounded tropical compared to last year’s 1-degree air temperature and 34-degree water. And had it not been for a strong southerly wind and spitting rain, it would have been.

As I milled around Split Rock awaiting the 1:30 p.m. rush into the sea, I couldn’t help but marvel at the contrast in weather from last year. Yet a chill hit me now and again as the raindrops flew at me. A wool Army blanket helped ward off the elements.

Having had the experience of three previous dips, I knew to wait until the last minute before getting undressed for the water. Those who had been walking around in their shorts earlier looked chilled. Except for Passamaquoddy Gary Moore, who has led the charge into the bay by diving from the nearby pier. He seemed impervious to the chilly winds as he strode about in his bathrobe and sandals. It’s got to be mind over matter, I guess.

I hooked up with Steve Ftorek, whose wife, Tess, helped coordinate the past five dips. He had a couple of friends who were observing and who would hold our coats and blankets while we made our mad dash into the water.

Believe it or not, just having a target to focus on when you’re headed out of the water (hyperventilating) is a comfort.

Turns out I was a tad tardy in getting ready for the onslaught. I was handing over my outerwear when the charge began. I wound up chasing a line of flailing elbows and heels into the water. A mini-second later the masses were headed back at me. I think I was one of the last ones out – at least on the initial charge. You have to know that these things don’t last very long.

Moments later as I stood by the bonfire chatting with Tess, a small group of WCCC students ran through the surf, and a late dipper, a woman, casually strolled into the water, turned back toward the beach, grabbed her nose, and dunked totally under water! Ouch! The remaining crowd cheered.

It doesn’t take long for the beach to clear. People seemingly evaporate and within half an hour the place is all but barren.

I changed out of my wet bathing suit in my car and returned to the staging area to help Steve and a bunch of students push his ice fishing shack onto a snowmobile trailer. (He brings the heated shack to the beach to use as a registration office.)

By then the rain was steady and the empty parking area a sea of mud. I followed Ftorek around the harbor to the Old Eastport Road where we stopped for a visit with Sandra Pottle, another of the dippers and a BDN carrier for the area. She had friends drop by after the dip for snacks and drinks. I had a great visit but had to leave early for business in Machias. The Ftoreks later told me Pottle, a registered Maine guide, was their inspiration to get their guide licenses years ago.

Pottle and her late husband, Jim, kept a tree farm on which she is cutting recreational trails and developing an outdoor classroom, physical fitness course, sweat lodges, labyrinth, pond, and more, Tess Ftorek told me.

My trip westward on Route 1 was reminiscent of riding a slick black snake through a coal bin during monsoon season. It was pouring in Machias and Milbridge, but by the time I hit Ellsworth, the rain let up. I took a quick break at L.L. Bean’s Factory Store, then mounted up for the last and foggiest leg of my homeward journey.

Saturday, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in much calmer and warmer waters at Old Town High School where a friend, Karen Francoeur, had reserved pool time for kayakers to play for a few hours. I’d not been in my boat since November, so it was fun getting reacquainted and stretching some muscles that haven’t been used for a while. I paid for it Sunday with some soreness in the triceps, but getting back on the water was worth it. If we get another warm spell and the park near my home floods again, I just may launch there for a giggle. Last weekend’s flood attracted two mallards and a gull before the waters turned to ice.

National Trails Day

While it may seem a bit early to be talking about hiking on Baxter State Park’s trails, it’s not too early to be thinking about putting a day aside to volunteer to clear trails of blow-downs.

Paul Sannicandro, trail supervisor at the park, dropped me a line the other day to say this year the chore will be magnified because of a freak storm in October that wreaked havoc in places, knocking trees across trails willy-nilly. He sent along a picture of the Nesowadnehunk Tote Road just north of the Nesowadnehunk Field campground that was reminiscent of the trail of destruction King Kong left behind after he snatched Ann Darrow from the natives.

The October storm and early snowfall combined to create a larger than normal windfall, Sannicandro said, so he and Deputy Chief Ranger Stewart Guay have sent out an invitation to “come help clear your favorite trails on National Trails Day in Baxter State Park” June 3. “Space is limited, so sign up today! Individuals, groups and outing clubs are encouraged to participate,” Sannicandro wrote.

You can reach Guay or Sannicandro at 207-723-9616 or drop them a line at Baxter State Park, 64 Balsam Drive, Millinocket 04462.

The task isn’t a “walk in the park,” but just think, your contribution will help others take a walk in the park.

Give blood, get a discount

Here’s a deal you can feel good about. On Feb. 18 there will be a contingent of phlebotomists awaiting your arm at Epic Sports in Bangor. Show up, give them a pint, and you get a 20 percent storewide discount on purchases you make that day.

You can feel good about donating your precious gift and pick up that special purchase you’ve been eyeing. It would be helpful to the folks at EMMC who will be collecting your gift if you were to go to the store ahead of time and sign up so the blood bank can schedule the appropriate number of needle wielders.

Jeff Strout’s column on outdoor recreation is published each Saturday. He can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.