This maybe my last post with this E addy so this is for the folks that have to live with the cold. There are many things in life and technology is not the greatest of them. It hardly ranks a mention compared with the depth of nature. I am a water - storm person myself. The weather has to be outright deadly to keep me from doing what I have to do in whatever situation. Finnished another winter working outside. Nothing like pulling rebar in freezing weather :o) Kind of makes me feel like I was getting to old for that kind of thing. So when you think about what you know, compare it with what you don't know and stare in awe. All the talk about Y2K failure of one sort or another is pointless. If you do not have the capacity to live with risks that nature and life throw at you then there is much to learn I got Y2K when the Auditor General in Canada stated that the Quebec Icestorm was going to be like a picnic. This was over a year ago. I wrote the piece below because of the risk of freezing during a power outage. This is as much a statement of preparing for the cold as dealing with Y2K. It is warm now.... not in 8 months though. Good Luck Brian G Henderson  Chop wood haul water

It has been my intention in the series Chop Wood Haul Water to alert folks to the potential of power-energy loss and the possibility of servere weather in colder climites. A major concern is Natural Gas and I have posted examples of the issues confronting this industry on

http://www.ampsc.com/~imager/Y2k/One.html

   In my last posts I have dwelled on a specific topic. This time I will just elaborate on the cold. In the north when folks say its forty below that just means it was bloody cold.
They had a thing about embellishment. Cut a story in half and you have the truth. So your forty below is different than others. Never kid yourself though the worst temperature to live outside in is actually around freezing in a wet climate. So the risks are the same, hypothermia leading to death. Hypothermia is not a risk that one should take lightly. Realize that if the power goes out and it is winter 01/01/2000 you risk waking up in a cold home. Will you be prepared?
  Sub 0 F temperatures are not for the ill prepared. A good snowsuit is a must. Get a heavy duty one. More for family members. Do not rely on ski suits as you will be around fire a lot and they melt easy. Good heavy knit wool socks are a god send with heavy snow boots. For comfort though moccasins and heavy socks are great  Use rubbers (a rubber outer shoe) and put duct tape on the back of the heels of the socks as this is the first part to ware out. Plus a outer work sock over the knit socks to keep them cleaner. Also a wool sweater, touque, and scarf is a must. In a blizzard the conditions must be like a sandstorm. I have been in -100 with the windchill and this means instant frostbite with skin exposure.  The snow and cold could ruin skin in 1 min. The only way to exist is wrapping your scarf around your head so that just a slit remains to see. Even that is frosted up in time. Up north the clothing is spectacular. A lot of custom work done for people. The most common to see at anytime is the gloves. Large and comfy. And equipped with idiot strings to hang them around your neck. This way they never got lost :o) Keep lots of liners for your boots and gloves. During long term exposure to the cold you must dry them out daily at least and during hard work more often..
   Hard work is what keeps one warm outside. Chopping wood can lead to an aggressive work out. For those wishing to get in shape try a bow saw for a couple of hours and feel your arms pumped. A danger here is the sweat that you produce. It is often only necessary to have a sweater and insulated vest if you are really givin er even during the coldest days. Have inside pockets in your clothes for food and a wine skin close to the body filled with water to keep yourself hydrated. Often cold is accompanied by dry conditions and this contributes to dehydration. Remember always that sub 0 F temperatures are desert conditions.
  There is of course snow. Use snow if you have to, to deal with it to your advantage. It is a versatile material. You could construct many things with snow if you make a shape and spray water on it  and then the cold would freeze it.  A structure could be made to live in much like the Inuit do. During the winter watch what snow does when it drifts. With not much problem one could design a shelter using the drifting snow to insulate it.

  Snow is and excellent insulator. If you can believe it in the north one can sleep in the snow. The true survivalist would strip naked and sleep in the buff in a snow bank. There are folks that could survive in the bush with a knife and matches. Snowshoes, snares, skins, all manner of leather implements, snow shelter, sled, it is just the will that is weak not the ability of humans to survive in the coldest of temps.
  It always must be stressed that moisture is the biggest challenge. It is always the cold that will get you. To give you an example, in 40 below, your sleeping bag will ice up around your head. The condensation from your body, breath freezes so your blankets must be dried out daily. Conversely folks hang there laundry outside and it dries out as the humidity is so low. Cold is a cruel teacher but if one is experienced life can be made bearable. But it can kill you. If you are caught in a position of freezing to death your mind stops to function and even remembering your name is difficult. Something simple as lighting a match is a huge challenge. Always beware of the cold. Its methods of death can be quick and insidious. The stories of folks lost in a snowstorm wandering around in circles is the good analogy to freezing to death. Getting nowhere fast.
 The best cure for hypothermia is warm fluids and warmth in general. When folks are found freezing to death they are usually huddled together. Body warmth is a good way to prevent each other from freezing. When frostbite is involved keep rubbing the affected area to help the circulation. The toes, fingers, nose and ears are the most vulnerable. The affected area will actually freeze and become ice. If this ever happens deal with it right away or the affected area will fall off. Kind of like leprosy. And when the affected area is thawing out the pain with be extreme. I hope that no one ever has to deal with this information that I am providing.
  There is rewards to the cold. But it is not for the unprepared. Think about my series of chop wood  haul water. With y2k there is the great unknown. All things might work out. Then it might not. There are to many population centers that could be at risk to a bad winter if TSHTF and riots will be the least of most peoples concerns. Guns are handy but do not keep you warm. This is not my choice for survival described here. On a dark and stormy night, a cabin, wood stove, lamp, tea and a good book is a good time. But life is not made for personal choices. Constitutions are. Nature is a different kettle of fish with the conditions non negotiable. Society has insulated us from the whims of nature. But do not be fooled, nature is still there. With the disasters the natural order is not order at all but a Russian roulette with the last bullet with your name on it. So in your contingency plans keep a mind on the potential for dealing with nature. In the long run it will make you a stronger person.

Good luck

Brian Henderson
 

-- Brian (imager@ampsc.com), May 06, 1999

Answers

Brian:

Have been there and done that [at even lower temperatures than you mention; assuming you mean degrees F]. But it is just like Y2K; a problem to be solved. It can be done.

Z1X4Y7

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 06, 1999.

when hubby is talking to people here in Florida about Alaska and working up there, they always ask how can you do that. Hubby always answers with, " you are prepared for the cold and you have to know how to manage it or you don't make it" Then he will always say, " its not so bad, you just have to make up your mind to do it". How true your essay is. Nature is always there and you damn will better learn how to live with it or you are dead. My husband always teases me with "Tundra Mama" kept him warm nites in the Igloo. Tundra Moma scales in at about 300 lbs.!!

Ah, yes....lots of body heat. LOL

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie @aol.com), May 06, 1999.

Taz

Tell your Hubby that I can remember a time when it was melting in Yellowknife NWT and snowing in Florida, January 1981 I believe. Both very rare to happen at anytime let alone at the same time. Now when the Arctic winds came back after it was quite the storm. The vengence of the cold towards the warmth in the depth of winter is truly awesome.

300 lbs? ya that is a bit of body heat.

-- Brian (imager@ampsc.com), May 06, 1999.

Taz:

300 lbs? ya that is a bit of body heat. Hubby was lucky. I had to supplement my 105 lb wife with many dogs. They don't smell as good.

Z1X4y7

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 06, 1999.

BRIAN::: The ONLY time rubbing is OK with frostbite is BEFORE the part freezes. If it gets hard or even a bit stiff, rubbing is th efirst thing on the NEVER DO list as the flexing forces the ice crystals through the cell walls, deepening the damage.

(Been there, handled the problems, taught the course.)

Chuck, who went to school NORTH of where the US Army filmed all of their winter survival films prior to 1970ish [they used Fort Drum]

-- chuck, a Night Driver (rienzoo@en.com), May 07, 1999.

Chuck good point. That will get changed. Mostly I remember my cheeks freezing a bit :o) but my heel callus froze and fell off once. That was pretty weird. A bit chilled that day.

Always remember, dry liners.

-- Brian (imager@anywherelikehome.com), May 07, 1999.