The frigid temperatures didn't bother hundreds of people in Pittsburgh, who started their new year by splashing into the icy cold waters of the Monongahela River.

First thing in the morning on New Year's Day at age 65, Anne Cornwell of Murrysville was about to do something she's never done before -- jumping into the river at the Mon Wharf.

"Checking off my bucket list," Cornwell said. 

She was getting ready to feel a shock to her system by splashing into the Monongahela River.

"I'm hoping it's like jumping in the 'fountain of youth," Cornwell said. 

Before it was time, some weren't too sure they made the right choice.

"I'm really regretting my decisions today," Rebecka Autore, who lives in Bloomfield, said. 

However, for many, like Frank Nelson, president of the Pittsburgh Polar Bear Club, it's a tradition for him that goes back 61 years.

"It's like washing away your past and starting all over again," Nelson said. 

At 9:30 a.m., it was time to take the plunge in the 35-degree water, with 16 degrees in the air, not including wind chills. 

They took a quick dip to reset, with some stepping out to find icicles on their beards.

"It like awakens you up, it makes you feel alive, you feel great about the new year," William Galbreath of Pulaski said.  

Maybe after those seconds in the river, Cornwell felt just a little bit younger. 

"I'm going to do it again. Hopefully, it will be warmer next year," Cornwell said. 

The event benefits the Salvation Army, supporting those in need with warm winter gear.