Distinctly Montana Magazine

BY GLENDA WALLACE Y ou might think we're talking leisure here, something fun to do on a winter afternoon. We are! But the ample waters of Montana can also bring you healing. And you must have ample waters, meaning a landscape with naturally occurring waters that you can access: lakes, rivers, creeks, ponds. Most of Montana's hot springs are located west of the Continental Divide; about a third are developed for commercial use. POLAR BEAR PLUNGES An adventurous spirit is always a plus. Rick Klin is 70. Married with seven grown children, he's vegetarian, plays volleyball twice weekly, and dips daily into bone-chilling water. Today, he's pres- ident of the Libby Polar Bear Club. There are 147 card-carrying members and every Sunday, October to April, they plunge. Well, some of them do. "I'm probably the only one," he says, "who enjoys the water. I don't care if the wind's blowing, It's raining or snowing. I just walk in, dive under, pop up, and start talking to people." People "have to dunk their heads," he says. "They usually come out screaming or making noise. The most seasoned walk in, dunk under, and walk out." Veterans dunk twice. Rick's stays in…10, 15, 20 minutes. Then he dries off in the air. His nickname is Polar Bear Rick. "I don't leave the house without a nice long cold shower," he says. "If you drink your coffee in the morn- ing, I take my cold shower. It's part of my life. I would get withdrawals if I didn't." An honorary member of America's first Polar Bear Club (Coney Island), Rick says, "When I came to Montana, I found this crystal clear water, and it's awful cold, but I started do- ing it and I found out that I could survive it. I used to shiver when I was younger, but now it has no effect on me." He suspects the reason is "brown fat." Found naturally in infants, rodents, and other critters that don't shiver, it's officially called Brown Adipose Tissue. And, unlike its muffin-top "white" cousin, it's active. One type of BAT actually appears more like a muscle cell and may consume white fat. And then there's this: cold exposure improves bone density and resistance to illness. This interests the healthcare industry. Most organized plunges here in Montana occur as a Special Olympics fundraiser. (See sidebar). TJ Stratton of Raven Brew Pub — sponsors of the New Year's Day Flathead Lake Polar Bear Plunge — says, "We do it just for fun." Their motto: "Bring a suit, a towel, and a sense of humor." Scott Gill of the South Central Polar Bear Club in Bozeman says, "I like cut- ting the hole in the ice. With the kids, it's a lot of fun." His wife, Susan Higgins, who founded the club out of nostalgia for "dunking camaraderie," remembers people showing up for many winter months wearing terrycloth robes, winter boots, and Speedos. A physician's assistant, Scott knows the value of bone-chilling water. "Ice baths have long been used for strenuous work- outs, to reduce inflammations," he says, "but that has nothing to do with a Polar Bear plunge. It's just a great, robust way to start your New Year — plunging into ice cold water and getting your heart rate going, then eating chili and having hot cocoa. It's very social." HOT SPRINGS SOAKS When in hot water, or cold, an open mind is a blessing. Denise Moreth knows this better than most. The general manager of Quinn's Hot Springs Resort near Paradise, she suffers from disease. Or she did, until she started working at Quinn's (and its sister company Jackson Hot Springs Resort) in 2001. "I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis over 20 years ago, and diabetes," she says. "I started using the pools fairly regularly…and the inflammation and flare-ups started going away. It was from using the pools. The pools take away a lot of the aches. It's very therapeutic." The "treatment of disease by baths" is called balneo- therapy, according to Webster's Dictionary. In 1885, when Irish immigrant Martin Quinn ("fondly called Dr. Quinn") established his resort, it was called "taking the cure." "People came from all over for extended holidays," De- nise says, "Some would stay for two or three weeks." Miners, too. "They would sit with these big sheets around them and the sheets would turn black," she says, as the impurities leached out of their bodies. Believe it or not!! The fact is the medical community is looking anew at the healing properties of mineral waters. Visit the Web site of Quinn's, or the charming Chico Hot Springs & Spa DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL Spend New Year's Day with the Mystic Heights Polar Bear Club. Go to: www.distinctlymontana.com/polarbear131 www.distinctlymontana.com 75

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