For Columbia Falls man, every day, a quick swim, mostly in the Flathead River

Like a few hardy folks on New Year’s Day, Dan Long donned a bathing suit and jumped into the Flathead River.

But for Long, this was his 207th straight day of jumping into water somewhere, though not all of his swims were in the river.

“Some were hot springs,” he confesses.

But December was pretty much all Flathead River. Take off your shirt, socks and shoes and jump in at the Teakettle Access site. Every day. Rain or shine.

“I don’t know really why I started,” he said. “And I don’t know why I’m still doing it, to be honest.”

One thing’s for sure; it is refreshing. 

Once you commit and go under, “You’re not thinking about anything but taking that first breath,” he said.

On this day, he’s joined by his daughter, Irie; they’ve been swimming together for three years on New Year’s Day. Joining them was a friend, Jessica Skokan.

To be sure, the dip is short, just jump in, go under and get out.

Still, Long says there’s no pain afterwards.

They weren’t alone. Another woman was also down at the river. She said she’d swam a full 10 minutes.

While cold plunges can have benefits, like reducing inflammation and easing sore muscles as well as clearing one’s head, people with heart conditions are urged to use caution and take it slow, if at all.

Cold water causes your blood vessels to constrict, which raises your blood pressure and forces your heart to work harder. According to the American Heart Association, cold plunging can cause a sudden increase in breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. This can be dangerous for people with heart conditions, hypertension or those at risk for stroke, according to a story on the Cleveland Clinic website.

So, you might want to check and make sure your heart is healthy enough for that activity before taking a plunge.

As for Long, he plans to keep on swimming.