Swimmers take cue from temperature plunge

With temperatures dipping below freezing this week - and feeling 10 degrees colder than that with the chilly winds - is this a perfect time to unpack that Speedo and think about a lap in Henry David Thoreau's favorite pond? If so, an environmental group wants you!

Swimmers will line up at 2 p.m. on Dec. 6 for the Polar Bear Plunge into Walden Pond, the Global Warming Education Network said at a conference at MIT last weekend.

Last year's frosty dip at Thoreau's historic spot in Concord produced worldwide coverage in the fight against global warming, said Roger Shamel, the Lexington-based group's president.

Each swimmer is asked to bring two friends for a support team. And a swimsuit, of course. (Organizers are not taking Thoreau's "simplify, simplify" theme to its bare extreme.)

After the plunge, the shivering splashers will share a celebratory cup of hot chocolate, said Shamel. The event is part of the National Polar Bear Plunge, timed to coincide with the United Nations Climate Talks Dec. 1-12 in Poland.

For more information, go to www.gwenet.org or www.keepwintercold.org.

Would you brave December's breezes for a dip in Thoreau's pond? Or is that a little too seasonally environmental for you? Transcend your apathy and let us know in an e-mail to globenorthwest@globe.com, with your name, hometown, and a daytime phone number (number for verification only).