Dozens of warm hearted locals braved a chilly afternoon breeze on Porcupine Lake for a the area's 2nd annual Great Canadian Chill hosted by Sears.
Proceeds raised from the event are collected by the Sears Canada Charitable Foundation, who then allocates funds to the NOFCC - Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer.
Sears manager Jonathan Cox explained the initiative behind the event, one of only three taking place .
"It's a corporate thing they've been doing for six years. They do two big events in Ottawa and Toronto. So we decided, that since we're up in the north, we can actually say that its cold and do a real polar bear dip. We decided to start it up last year and go from there," he said.
There were double the amount of jumpers compared to last year, according to Cox.
A sizeable crowd was in attendance to cheer on the participants. Family Day was chosen as the day of the event for the second consecutive year, although the venue changed from Gillies Lake to Porcupine Lake, where the festive spirit from this weekend's Winter Carnival carried over into Monday.
A nearby barrel sauna served as a haven for the participants, which included Sears employees, people of all ages, and members of the Canadian Forces.
Complimentary coffee and hot chocolate was available in a nearby tent. Medical personnel were on hand for precautionary measures.
By all accounts, the event was a major success.
"We're definitely over our target. Our target was $7,000 and we're definitely way over that. Nothing firm yet, but we should be over the ten (thousand) mark," said Cox.
One of the jumpers this year was Mark Pare of Rogers Radio.
"I found out that this was happening again this winter and I figured, why not? It's a great cause and it's an item off the bucket list. It's something I've been looking forward to doing for years and years. I had to take the opportunity to do it, and I'm glad I did," said Pare.
He said he was lacking in previous experience swimming in frigid waters.
"I've never done anything like that before in my life. Never."
Pare explained how he was able to avoid having an unpleasant experience, which a few of the participants did.
"The secret is the sauna. You go into the sauna first and once you start warming up, your body adapts to that heat. As soon as you come out, its a breeze basically. You sprint it, you don't even think about it. Just sprint it and do it. Go right in, come back out, and go straight back into the sauna."
He also offered some encouraging words for those contemplating taking the plunge.
"Anybody that wants to do it in future years, it's not as bad as you would think."
