Many disrobe when they go swimming, but these all-season swimmers put on far more than just their bathing suits, donning wetsuits, multiple pairs of socks, gloves and hats for their dip in the Ashfield Lake.

A group of swimmers meet daily, as long as the lake is not iced over, to swim a lap of the lake. Several individuals during warm weather swim in the iconic lake. Being friendly neighbors, the swimmers formed a community, swapping tips and looking out for each other in the water. As the weather got colder many of the swimmers stopped the ritual, giving it up until the weather got warm again. But a core group of four women decided this year to simply put on wetsuits and keep going.

“It is not as cold as it sounds if you dress for it,” one participant Ricki Carroll said.

The practice has changed over time. They used to meet at the beach and swim to the farthest point of the lake. Since much of the beach gets iced over first, the women then started meeting at the dock off Main Street and swim to the Ashfield Lake House and back.

They start each session with two thermometers in the water checking the temperatures, until jumping into the water ready for the adventure.

“When we swim it is important everyone feels safe and everyone feels comfortable,” participant Mary Link said stressing the safety they embrace as a community. The cold they feel in their fingers is the most difficult part of the swim, and they make sure to be careful to not go overboard. As they traverse the lake they check in with each other about their body temperatures and most swim with floatation devices strapped around their waists in case of emergency.

This practice, they warned, is different from the now-popular Wim Hof Method where people jump into ice water for a shorter period in just their bathing suits. Link is also interested in ice water dunking, which she has done since she was a child, but says this practice takes a different form of discipline. These women say they get less cold with the proper gear, and also stay in the water for much longer.

The daily group was inspired by a swim they took one day in October in bathing suits. As they were leaving they saw a group of women come wearing wetsuits, “I didn’t know how badly I wanted a wetsuit,” participant Carol Lebold said.

Link said she is typically the first person in the lake swimming for the season, she started this year on April 13 and was the last person to stop, but this year the group took that mantra further than they ever have before swimming into December. At this point, the group has stopped swimming because of the large sheets of ice and wind of the winter season.

Carroll said this practice is a mediation for her. She spends time in the water enjoying the nature around her. She looks for eagles, ospreys, otters, blue herons and more. “It is magical experiencing being in the water in many seasons,” she said.

Swimming takes place in rain, snow and hail. “It doesn’t matter once you’re in the water,” Carroll said.

“Anytime you challenge yourself to something physical it is empowering. It’s like I can do anything. I am older, at any moment something can shift and I won’t be able to do what I want. Doing this is very powerful,” Lebold said.

Reach Bella Carmela Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.