Offut Lake Resort’s Polar Plunge Offers the Chance Start the New Year Off Feeling ‘Exhilarated’

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Offut Lake Resort in Tenino is hosting its annual polar plunge — allowing participants to throw themselves into the cold, 42-degree waters at 10 a.m. on New Year’s Day to start the year off fresh.

Becky Pogue, who owns Offut Lake Resort with her husband Bob, said that depending on the weather, rain or sun, they have seen anywhere from 50 to 100 people of all ages take the plunge in past years. 

“There are more spectators than jumpers so it’s a busy morning,” Becky Pogue said. “Out with the old and in with the new. A baptism into 2020.”

The polar plunge is a family-friendly event to bring in the new year. The fire pits will be going to provide some warmth as well as the bar to serve bloody Marys and biscuits and gravy.

People who have jumped in that past describe the experience as exhilarating. The jump makes the “skin alive and electrified all day long,” said Bob Pogue, who makes the jump every year.



Offut Lake Resort has been hosting the polar plunge since 2011. The water is usually in the high 30s or low 40s and Becky Pogue said that the water is usually warmer than the air. 

Offut Lake Resort is in Tenino.

“It’s a fun way to bring in the new year,” said Becky.