How they broke the ice

The expression, "break the ice", generally refers to a method of conversation used by individuals who might feel a sense of initial awkwardness. Usually a comment about the weather or some whimsical quip comes to mind as examples. As you can guess, I have a story of breaking the ice that may just send a chill up your spine.

In 1971, the family took the third of our cross country trips, and this time the route took us through Estes Park in Colorado. What a majestic piece of real estate that is, with the Rockies soaring high above the basin's floor. Although we passed through in mid-August, the temperatures were in the mid to upper 40's, so many of us found ourselves bundled in heavy jackets. Some of us even broke out our winter hats to keep warm. The night before we made our final assault on the summit, we stayed in a lovely campground just below. It was chilly, so we delighted in having a campfire which isn't too common in August. Just below the campsite there was a beautiful mountain lake which my brothers and I scoped out after dinner, and one of them said, "wouldn't it be great to take a dip in the lake in the morning?"

Unfortunately, the overnight temperatures were less than accommodating for this little planned adventure, as they dipped below freezing. However, that did not deter my older and youngest brothers from venturing to the lakeside that next morning for a bone chilling, teeth chattering, jump in the lake. Although there may not have been measurable ice on the pond, it certainly rendered them "frozen" to the core after their crash and splash that cold August morning.

So, the next time you encounter an awkward moment, just think of these two crazy brothers of mine plunging headlong into this near frozen mountain pool for a refreshing start to their day. So be careful, because breaking the ice may actually be the easy part. As in the case of my brothers, it was the "shock and thaw" that they had to endure after diving in which really had them "shaking" in their shoes!