RED LODGE — On New Year's Day in Custer Gallatin National Forest, three things could be heard: A crackling fire, a chainsaw, and loud cheers from women in the group Women Who Explore: Montana.
No, the women weren't using the chainsaw to cut down trees for a fire. Instead, they were warming up by that fire after taking a cold plunge in Wild Bill Lake.
“It’s sort of, you know, cleansing,” said Women Who Explore: Montana ambassador Effie Poulos on Monday.
Women Who Explore is a nationwide group that aims to bring women together to explore the outdoors. In Montana, there are nearly 9,000 members. Effie Poulos is an ambassador for the Billings and Red Lodge region.
“I’m from Wisconsin, and traditionally in Wisconsin we always would do polar plunges on New Year's Day into Lake Michigan. And I was looking into whether or not there was one here in Red Lodge and I couldn’t find anyone doing one,” Poulos said.
So, she decided to create her own. Letting go of the past and welcoming a refreshing future for 2024 was exactly what Poulos had in store for the women who showed up to plunge at 10 a.m. Monday.
Before the plunge, the group of six wrote down things they wanted to leave in 2023 on a piece of notebook paper and then burned the pages in the fire.
“I’ve made some of my very best friends through this,” Poulos said.
While many of the women who showed up for the plunge Monday were strangers, by the end of the day they all shared a special memory.
“It's a good way to start the new year,” said another ambassador for the group, Jourdyn Browning. “If you’re a woman who likes to get outside, you should join Women Who Explore: Montana on Facebook and come to some of our events.”
