Hey {{ first name | there }},
We did it. We completed the 50 lakes, 50 cold plunge expedition last week. After a failing attempt on my scouting run, I put our odds of success very low.
I plugged the mission into AI and it gave us close to a zero percent chance of finishing even if we were extreme athletes (which we’re not).
Sean, Rory, Me, Matt, Kurt (very front)
It all started a year ago. when I took a trip to Mammoth with Matt (pictured) and our families. We jumped into a few freezing alpine lakes, and we couldn't stop talking about it for weeks after.
Around the same time, holding my daughter Leora changed how I think about hard things. I wanted to become someone she'd always be proud of outside of my tech job.
I wanted to give her a hero.
So I brainstormed for months. Nothing felt big enough.
Then I asked AI to design the hardest challenge I could attempt, something no one had done before.
It came back with this:
50 glacier lakes. 50 cold plunges. 5 days. 70 miles.
Every plunge had to last at least two minutes and be under 45 degrees.
I posted the expedition online expecting no one to join. Instead, i got around 10 people interested. A few people dropped out but we ended up with a solid group of five.
Then came the hard part: the planning. We couldn't go too far into July or the mosquitoes would eat us alive and the water would be too warm. Snow, weather, and trail conditions decided whether the route was even possible, and most of the trails sat above 11,000 feet.
After months of research, I realized there was probably one perfect week a year to pull it off. A scouting trip confirmed it. Snowfields and windstorms shut down a few of my routes.
We were forced to reschedule a couple of times until we locked down what we hoped was the perfect week.
And then it began.
Over five days we hiked 70 miles and completed all 50 glacier lake plunges. Sean averaged around four minutes per plunge. Absolute beast.
Everyone had different training levels coming in.
One person had zero training and completed the entire mission. I take a lot of pride in the fact everyone made it through.
Not once did anyone talk about quitting, even when chafed head to toe, baking in the high-altitude sun, and running on fumes.
I'm proud of us. We committed to something with terrible odds, accepted that failure was real, and kept showing up anyway.
AI said it was impossible.
We decided AI doesn't know what humans are capable of.
That's the whole point of Breathe Into The Wild. The cold, the altitude, the doubt, all of it is there to show you what you're made of. You accept the mission. You keep showing up.
This Sunday, we do it together.
Join us for Breathwork, Cold Plunge, and Yoga to reset your mind and body. It's the same practice that carried us through 50 lakes and 70 miles, scaled down to one powerful afternoon.
Get your ticket →
See you in the wild,
Josh
P.S. If you’re interested in going on the expedition next year, let me know.