Surviving Hypothermia

It seems like just yesterday since I wrote my post on transitioning to fall gear. Now, it is the first day of winter. Just like going into fall, winter has some transitioning. From gear, to food, to camping techniques. I have posted quite a bit on winter camping, but it has been a while since I last posted on surviving. I try to keep a habbit of posting on one winter emergency per year and today, I encountered a hypothermia case.

Of any other winter emergency, I believe hypothermia can be the deadliest. Hypothermia is also known as low body temperature. It is when your body temperature starts to drop and as it drops, your body will go through different stages. This can be caused, not only in winter, but on a cool summer night as well. For the most part, hypothermia can be avoided, but on certain occasions, it cannot and if you encounter such a situation, it's important to know how survive it.

First of all, let's look at the cause. Hypothermia is caused by exposure to cold over a long (or short) period of time. In a campig situation, it can be caused by having a sleeping bag rated to high, not wearing the right clothing, not eating enough, or the worst: getting wet.

Being wet when it's cold is the fastest way to develop hypothermia. As your body temperature begins to drop, you will go into progressive stages of hypothermia. It starts out by feeling cold and shivering. I'm sure we have all experienced this at some time. You begin to shiver and feel your whole body getting cold, but more so of the extremities. As time passes, your extremities will become colder. As your body temp drops, your body will cut off circulation to your extremities to keep that warm blood in your core to help you survive.

As it progresses, you will stop shivering. This is when it becomes dangerous and tissue damage can occur. The skin will become cold and turn to a blue or white color. In ths stage, the person will also become lethargic and confused. The mental status will drop as the body temperature drops and in late stages, the person will become unconcerned about their condition. They will eventually lose consciousness and appear dead.

If this happens to you, or someone you're with, the most important thing is to get dry. Even in the middle of winter, you are better off naked than in 10 layers of wet clothes. Strip down all wet clothes and if you have a towel or dry clothes, be sure to get dry and put on any spare clothing. It is important to have soething over your head. Most of your body heat escapes from your head. If the sleeping bag is dry, bundle up inside. When you are warmed up, quickly build a fire. You may not be able to if you are going into hypothermia because of the shivering. However, you want to get warm before you become confused, especially if you're by yourself so if that's your only option, get stripped down, then build a fire.

If you have a fire, hang your clothes near it to dry them out. If you carry a space blanket/casualty blanket, that is a good option. If you have one, wrap yourself in it and open it slightly towards the fire, allowing the heat to reflect onto your body. When you start to feel warm, close the blanket up until you are fully warmed up.

If none of the above are available, you still needs to find a way to warm up. If you are with someone, shared body heat is the best method. Huddle together and if you have one, share a blanket or sleeping bag. If you have a hiking partner that is going into hypothermia, be sure to share your body heat with him. This will work better than most methods.

When you are sitting waiting to warm up (such as near a fire), you are better off sitting on your backpack or chair and stay off the ground. The ground will cause you to lose more heat, so try to stay off the ground.

These are the basics on recognizing, treating, and preventing hypothermia. Remember that hypothermia does not just occur in winter but can happen all year round. Be prepared for it and dress to prevent it.