“Over the course of my life and travels, I have rarely resisted the urge, upon visiting a beautiful place, to strip down to my skivvies and jump in the water (regardless of how cold or inappropriate it may be). Here, then, is a non-exhaustive list of some of my favourite dips from across the country, from west to east.”

10. Swimming with the icebergs in Alsek Lake, Tatshenshini River, Yukon

9. Falling off my surfboard at North Chesterman Beach, Tofino, B.C.

8. Jumping a fence and poaching a random hot tub with friends and beverages in Whistler, B.C.

7. Soaking in the natural hot springs along the Nahanni River, N.W.T.

6. Flipping off the top deck of a houseboat on Lake of the Woods, Ont., to impress my dad

5. Racing out of the sauna at The Outpost and into Maskinonge Lake, Temagami, Ont.

4. Half-drowning my way through the Washing Machine, clinging to my kayak, Rivière Rouge, Que.

3. Leaping 60 feet off the bridge of an icebreaker into the fjord off Pangnirtung, Baffin Island, Nunavut

2. Paddling down the Margaree River in an inner tube with my one-year-old son Xavier in my lap, Cape Breton, N.S.

1. Diving into icy waters off the rocky beach at Cape Broyle, Nfld., with my brother, after a campfire meal of lobsters, steak and Jockey Club, on the snowy May weekend of my bachelor party

Have you ever wondered which cities have the most bars, smokers, absentee workers and people searching for love? What about how Canada compares to the world in terms of the size of its military, the size of our houses and the number of cars we own? The answers to all those questions, and many more, can be found in the first ever Maclean’s Book of Lists.

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