Ice Cold Energy

June 26

            Glacier ice and fresh snowmelt draining slowly down the mountains… thus is origin of the water in the thousands of glacial lakes in the Sierra high country. Getting to know a handful of them as I begin my backcountry wandering, I’m fairly certain that I have tasted the freshest water on planet Earth. Clear, delicious, pure and ice cold. It must be a thousand times better for mind, body and spirit than any city sludge.

            We arrived at Pear Lake mid-afternoon, after a slightly strenuous, but considerably beautiful hike past the remarkable Tokopah Valley (think SW canyon country but with glaring white granite) up to 9,400 feet. Before the chilly night to come, the hot Sierra sun still had three or four hours with which to warm us, so I decided now was the time to undo a bit of my long-standing fear of freezing cold water. How cold? After about a ten-minute self-counseling session convincing myself it couldn’t be so bad, in I dove…

…With eternal respect to you I remain, Mr. Glacier! That you can be that bone-chillingly cold for thousands of years and even today your melted remnants begin to numb arms and legs in approximately one minute is remarkable. After my 60-second venture in Pear Lake, I crawled onto the rocks and sat in the sun for about 60 minutes regaining body heat and soaking in the marvelous high Sierra vistas. More refreshed I’m not sure I have ever felt. Your body seems to come alive after such a primal, liquid shock. I probably could have hiked another five hours.

            I have heard that, to the (now comical) bewilderment of some of the less hygienically sophisticated Europeans, some Indians used to begin each day with a dip in the frigid rivers and lakes, even in the dead of Winter. Now I understand. Coffee and every other stimulant become absolutely unnecessary if one begins the day in such an exhilarating manner. Excellent for physical, mental and spiritual health this icy water. In many respects glaciers and their remnant waters are the foundations of most of the elements of life as we know it. Once seeing and feeling this ancestral chill, we should remember this always and do everything we can to protect these ancient places; this ancient energy; this ancient ice: glaciers and the polar caps. Ice cold energy.