In my twenties, my family celebrated Thanksgiving in New England and after the meal we took a walk in the chilly afternoon. Stupidly, I told my brother I’d pay him fifty bucks if he jumped in the Connecticut River. I say stupidly because he was up to the challenge, and he ripped off his clothes (well not all of them) and jumped in. Which meant that — unless I wanted to immediately forfeit my Man Card — I had to take the arctic plunge too.
Oof.
Years later, having learned nothing apparently, I challenged my then pre-teen daughter to a similar dare, and like my brother, she bravely called my bluff and I was once again forced to jump into freezing water. If you’ve ever taken such a dive, you know it absolutely takes your breath away and you feel like you’ve been hit by a 2×4.
None of that entered the mind of Vermont Trooper Michelle Archer on December 17 when she was called to…
