COEUR d’ALENE — It was 32 degrees and big, fat snowflakes were dumping down Wednesday afternoon.

Mike Marvinny was standing in the 36-degree Lake Coeur d’Alene at City Beach

For two hours.

That’s crazy to pretty much anyone.

But not to Marvinny.

“Every year I do it,” he said.

He was taking advantage of a drawn-down lake to seek treasures beneath the surface.

That doesn’t mean he doesn't get cold.

“I’m freezing,” he said with a smile as he stood next to his SUV.

His perseverance and patience paid off.

Marvinny wore a waterproof outfit, cap and hood, and used a metal detector and scoop to walk slowly, listen for pings, and sift through the sandy bottom and come away with a few finds.

His prize was an 1893 Indian head penny, among a few other coins, and a small silver ring.

“Oh, and also, a naval button from the fort, 1870s,” he said, referring to Fort Sherman.

In the winter, when most people are hunkered down inside, Marvin ventures out, about to his waist, off the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene. As it drops, it gives him more reach for long forgotten trinkets.

The elevation of Lake Coeur d'Alene Wednesday was 2,122.26, which is about 5 feet 9 inches below maximum summer elevation, according to Avista. The level of the lake is expected to stay about the same over the next week.

“Lake Coeur d'Alene is now at its natural level and the elevation will fluctuate depending upon how much inflow there is into the lake,” according to myavista.com.

Come March, as the snow beings to melt, the lake level will rise. And Marvinny will retreat.

But until then, he will gear up every so often, venture out, and gently step into clear waters.

He works at Kootenai Health, where he said it’s been “very busy,” so metal detecting in the lake is a calm from the chaos of today’s world.

“Got my vaccine, I’m ready to go,” he said.