Deep Creek Dunk by Snowmobile 2016
So I wake up on Dunk morning and notice the water pouring off the icicles on the back window. Normally the temps are brutal cold on the morning of the Deep Creek Dunk and last year we had a storm on top of it that made it hard for people to even get to the event. My wife Betsy and I tentatively planned on going to the Deep Creek Dunk by snowmobiles 2016 but grew increasingly concerned at the warm morning we were experiencing. We knew that the ice was just thick enough to sled safely on the lake the previous week but overnight the last foot of snow melted off our porch. We wondered how this warm-up would affect the thickness of the lake and should we forget the idea of sledding to the dunk and just drive.
The forecast for the Deep Creek Dunk was 55-60 degrees, which was very pleasant to experience in the middle of February. We decided to gamble and I went up and got the trailer with our two Yamaha sleds and headed down to the lake to check them over. We suited up in light winter gear and cranked up the sleds and started screaming toward the lake. As we got to the lake we were slightly nervous as we hit the ice. This nervousness soon subsided and exhilaration kicked in as rails hit the ice and we were propelled from 0 to 100 mph in a matter of seconds. It was a pleasant and unusual sensation riding the sleds on such a warm day and it didn’t take but a few minutes before we were downshifting toward dozens of sleds littered on the lake bank near the event. If you’re not used to living in a northern lake environment, it can be fascinating to see everyone rolling in by snowmobiles, snowshoes or by foot. Some years you will see folks coming across the lake on cross country skis.
The event was very entertaining, as it is every year, and they raised $146,482 for the Special Olympics. Some dunkers I talked to thought the lake actually felt colder because of the warmer air temperatures. Regardless, the event is one that we look forward to every year and will never miss. Don’t miss this event next year no matter if you go by sled, drive or ski there. It’s a perfect balance of warmhearted people in frigid conditions, sacrificing their body’s to raise money for a special cause. Freezing for a reason!
