Snow is frozen water

OK, I know that sounds like a smart-ass answer, but seeing how I grew up in Florida, it is an important fact. Not everyone realizes that as you hike in the snow, two things are happening: you are getting snow on you, and you are heating up your body. In turn, the snow is melting on your clothes. This can be really bad once you stop hiking and cool off. The water in your clothes will freeze. Not good.

On the flip side of this, you can eat snow to help you hydrate, but be careful with this one. Snow s tapping your body heat in order to melt the snow into ice, so by eating snow you are lowering your core temperature, and therefore that much closer to hypothermia. As mentioned earlier, though, when you are moving you are heating yourself up. Finding the balance between the heat of hiking and the cooling of eating snow is the key.

Snow is a great insulator

The Inuit know what they are doing when it comes to cold weather, and their use of the igloo (iglu) for shelter illustrates this best. The fact is, unpacked snow is mostly air (90% or better) trapped between ice crystals. The fact that the air cannot circulate causes it not to transfer heat, and thus insulate.

Snow absorbs water

If you find yourself suddenly wet (slipped on that rock in the stream, did you?) and you are in freezing temperatures, you must get your wet clothes off ASAP. What you may not realize is that by rolling your clothes in the snow, or even parts of yourself, you can dry up a lot of the water. Then the snow can be brushed off rather easily. Keep in mind you are still going to have to dry your clothes completely near a fire (or other heat source) but the time it will take will have been reduced. Hopefull your sleeping bag was in a water tight bag during this time, so that you can get into it while your clothes dry!

Your turn. What do you know about snow?

What is your hiking speed?

Knowing how fast you personally hike is good, but it does nothing to help plan for a group. Unless everyone in the group hikes together often, you have to generalize. Two (2) miles per hour is a good base speed for hiking in a group. Remember that weather can slow you down, and so will elevation. Specifically, you will slow down as you get to higher altitudes. Ice and snow can make you crawl (literally) so make sure to factor in extra time for that. Finally, the weight of your pack will make a difference, so the more days out, the more weight.

One more thing about hiking speed: faster is not better. Just like in a car, moving faster is less efficient, so you will burn more energy by hiking faster. Especially true in winter hiking, with less energy, your body will get colder at night. Also, the faster you hike the more likely to will sweat. If you are sweating when you stop for the night, you are at much higher risk of hypothermia. As Les Stroud often states, “You sweat, you die.”

As in everything, balance is the key, so you do not want to go too slow, either.

Sde note: check out the Rest Step for uphill hiking. Takes discipline, but it works. This is survival, not a race (well, maybe the human race.)

When is Sunrise / Sunset?

Knowing the time for sunrise and sunset are the basis for determining when to do things, assuming you want to do them in the daylight. When determining when to make camp, how long to gather firewood, etc. sunset is what you need to pay close attention to. You can do a search on the Internet to find out the sunrise and sunset times for various days, or even check the Farmer’s Almanac, but here is the thing: sunset is not when gets dark. In fact, here are some definitions relating to sunset that you should be aware of:

• Sunset is the daily disappearance of the sun below the horizon as a result of the Earth’s rotation.
• Twilight is the time between dawn and sunrise, and the time between sunset and dusk.
• Civil Twilight: Morning civil twilight begins when the geometric center of the sun is 6° below the horizon (the point of civil dawn), and ends at sunrise. Evening civil twilight begins at sunset and ends when the center of the sun reaches 6° below the horizon (the point of civil dusk).
• Nautical Twilight is the time when the center of the sun is between 6° and 12° below the horizon. In general, nautical twilight is the point where navigation via the horizon at sea is no longer possible.
• Astronomical Twilight is the time when the center of the sun is between 12° and 18° below the horizon. In general, the end of astronomical twilight is the point where the sky no longer illuminated by the sun and is dark enough for all astronomical observations.

So you see, the questions “what time is sunset” and “when does it get dark” are not the same thing. That being said, if camp is setup and firewood is gathered before sunset, you are good to go.

When to rest?

Finally, factors like planned rest stops, rally points, and lunch need to be considered, especially if not everyone is hiking at the same speed. Again, we are assuming daylight hiking, and that you are using the buddy system if the group splits up.

Rest stops are more of a time based concept. Plan something to the effect of a 5 or 10 minute break every 30 to 60 minutes. What these are not good for is getting everyone “caught up.” This is due to the fact that what will happen is that the faster hikers will stop and wait for the slower hikers, and when the slower hikers finally catch up, the faster hikers will want to leave too soon for the slower hikers to rest. Instead of the “catch up” everyone can just rest where they are. For catching up we have rally points. Also, hikers should have enough time to do things like drop their pack, change socks, etc. You should not feel rushed, as this is relaxation time.

Rally points are just that, a place where you wait for everyone to reach (rally together.) You always have planned them, even if it is just when and where to meet to start the hike. On the trail, it is a good idea to have rally points at the more critical points, such as a fork on the map or a technical obstacle. this insures that no one get stuck or lost. Also, water sources are a good rally point, as it allows everyone to purify and refill.  The biggest thing here is to wait, wait, and keep waiting. You do not leave until everyone arrives. If you feel that it is taking too long for everyone to catch up, it is time to double-back and find them. If you have radios, even better. Then you just wait.

As for lunch, a scenic rally point is always a good idea. Personally, I like to snack while hiking, but again we are planning for a group, so it is a good idea to work this in, if needed.

Now, it is obvious that we are not discussing land navigation here, but rather the logistic of a group of hikers. Orienteering skills are essential to a successful hike, as are actually having a map and compass. Many times I have heard the tail of getting lost in the woods and having to spend an extra night. Many times without food or warmth. You will need to plan for these things, as well, but that is for a different post.

1. Knowledge: No I am not talking about a book that comes with your kit, though not a bad idea. What I am referring to here is actually know how and when to use the items you are carrying with you. I remember learning in Boot Camp about how to treat a sucking chest woundwith the wrapping from a pack of cigarettes. Knowledge is the most powerful thing you can carry with you, and it cannot be understated.
2. Knife: bring many. Although not always directly used in first aid, a knife is the most useful tool you can have in the back country. Need to improvise a splint or a bandage? Use the knife to cut down limbs and vines. Need a fire to purify (boil) water to avoid dehydration? A fire to keep warm? Larger knives are good at splitting wood.

Now, these two items are numbered because they are always the number 1 and number 2 items on damn near every list I make. The rest of the items are listing in random order, which is to say that I have not assigned a priority to them. I figure that the highest priority item is whichever one I need at the time (and probably the one I forgot!)

• Waterproof bag / box: something to carry the kit, and keep it safe from the elements.
• Hand sanitizer: get my hands clean before touching an open wound.
• Ibuprofen: aches, pains, fever, and the list goes on. The plus here is it is an anti-inflammatory, so it works on sprains.
• Acetaminophen: not an anti-inflamatory, but it is a fever reducer. Great for a good old-fashioned headache.
• Tweezers: Ticks and splinters and scrapes, oh my.
• Sterile wipes: preferably with lidocaine, especially when you need to clean out a scrape with tweezers (see above.)
• Antibiotic ointment: kills them microscopic critters.
• Gauze and pads: sterile and soft.
• Cloth tape: let’s keep things in place, but make it comfortable and do not restrict movement, unless you need to.
• Burn gel: cools and protects all at the same time. One of the few things you should put on a burn.
• Hemostatic bandages: like the name says, it stops bleeding.
• Blistex / Chapstick: make sure it has SPF protection, as well.
• Bandana.

OK, so ther is my basic brain dump. What did I miss? What would you remove? Let the world know.

The logic here is that by using a person’s first aid on them, you always have yours ready if and when you need it. In combat, the injured person gets taken away by medical personell, so you are only left with what you initially had on you. In a civilian survival situation, you just might forget to refill your kit before the next adventure. Besides, make the person with the injury pay for the supply refill!

Now, that being said, I am not condoning the withholding of aid to someone in need. If you find someone without a first aid kit, then give them aid from what you have on hand. Additionally, if there is someone designated as a medic, they should be carrying extra kit to use on those in need.

One other tip: do not put your first aid kit down in a pack somewhere. It needs to be attached to you, and easy to get to, both for you and anyone that is there to help.

NEVER feed bears. They can lose their fear of people and may have to be destroyed.

NEVER leave food unattended, even if in coolers. Secure ONLY in bear-proof container or car trunk with windows completely rolled up.

Severe winter storms above 6,000 feet are unpredictable and can be life-threatening. Fog and winds can impede search-and-rescue crew and helicopter access. Hike and camp in the back country at your own risk.

NEVER rely on GPS, cell-phone, or rescue beacon devices to prevent/survive emergency situations.

ALWAYS be prepared for the worst weather. Closure of the Blue Ridge Parkway occurs frequently when snow & ice accumulate. Be prepared to stay extra days or pack up and leave upon request by a park ranger at any time.

Campground Safety
You MUST secure all food, garbage, and any items that might smell like food to a bear (toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, cosmetics, pet food, cooking and cleaning supplies, stove fuel, etc.) in the bear-proof storage container available at each campground site.

Backcountry Camping and Hiking Safety
Foraging bears have been active and sometimes aggressive at the Commissary Ridge area. Bear-resistant food canisters or storage sacks are highly advised, otherwise food MUST be hung correctly at least 150 feet away from tent. Food bags should hang 5- feet below the branch, 5-feet from the tree trunk, and be at least 10-feet off the ground. Bears can and will climb trees and can easily reach food bags suspended at heights under 10 feet.

Failing to behave properly places you and your fellow visitors at risk for property damage and severe personal injury.

Updated: 2009-10-31 15:41:56