Wet Feet! ... Immersion Foot!? Part One©

 

Last week we talked about how to dry your boots, this week we will talk about what will happen to your feet if you don’t!

 

The more things change, the more they stay the same, and if your socks, sandals, shoes, boots, or moccasins get wet, your feet get wet, and if your feet stay wet for an extended period, you risk “immersion foot”!  

 

Immersion foot can strike in the summer or winter, in cold or warm climates, it is a medical term that is used to describe three related traumas, all of which start when some part of you has been wet for a long time.  All three maladies are different, but they all share some similarities, too.  All have occurred for as long as people have gotten their feet wet and have all been called by many names over the centuries.  And don’t forget immersion foot isn’t just a problem of the feet, although that is the body part that is most affected, it can impact your hands, ankles, and buttocks, too! 

 

All members of this cluster of maladies, have the following related symptoms, which will appear in the following order.

 

A mild case of immersion foot showing maceration, from Wikimedia HERE.

First, a pruning or softening of the skin, known medically as maceration, will appear.  This wrinkling, which can be mild to severe, is caused by hyperhydration of the skin layers.  The skin will appear pale or white and wrinkled.  Second, is the separation of the dermal layers, the epidermis from the dermis, especially in people who have thick, heavy callouses in the affected areas.  And third, the affected areas will display tenderness, swelling, blisters, and skin abrasions, or raw spots, over any pressure points. 

 

All immersion foot injuries start with being wet; warm-wet or cold-wet, either from sweat or immersion, AND with waterlogging, or hyperhydration, of your skin.  However ,what separates them into two distinct groups is temperature, warm versus cold, because cold-wet can reduce the blood supply to the skin, and once the blood supply has been reduced for long enough, the skin will begin to die.

 

Once you understand this difference, you will be able to diagnose trench foot” which is a non-freezing cold injury (NFCI), from the other two types of immersion foot, “warm water immersion foot” (WWIF) , and its second stage “tropical immersion foot” (TIF)¹.

 

Immersion Foot ... Trench Foot!

 

From “Nonfreezing cold water (trench foot) and warm water immersion injuries”, by Ken Zafren, MD, HERE.

Trench foot², is a non-freezing cold injury (NFCI), caused by exposure to wet and cold, but not necessarily freezing, conditions, of 32° to 59°F (0° to 15°C) over a period two to three days, or even longer.  It can occur much faster, in as little as 14 to 22 hours, if your feet have been continuously immersed in 32° to 46°F (0° to 8°C) temperature water, however. 

 

But it isn’t only continuous immersion in cold water that leads to trench foot, it can be caused by the prolonged wearing of damp or wet socks and footwear in cold conditions.  Wet clothing cools the feet very rapidly, and as the feet cool, the small arteries supplying blood to the feet and ankles constrict (vasoconstriction) and reduce circulation by approximately 10%³.  Blood flow to the feet can also be reduced by inactivity, particularly when the feet are below the level of the heart.  The reduced circulation deprives the feet of oxygen, warmth and nutrition and the cells begin to die.  At first, only the skin and tissues immediately below the skin are affected, however if the feet are not dried and rewarmed, even the deeper tissues of the feet can be injured.  Wearing tight socks or boots can further impede circulation and worsen the condition, particularly when the feet begin to swell. 

 

Most victims of non-freezing cold injuries (NFCIs), besides being exposed to cold and wet conditions, have also been subjected to fatigue, malnutrition, periods of limited movement, and have been wearing the same boots or shoes constantly for many days.  Among civilians, those at risk for NFCI are hikers, homeless people, shipwreck survivors, who are immersed in cold water or aboard lifeboats, and survivors of wilderness accidents, like plane crashes or capsized boats, who must survive in wet clothes and boots.

 

Symptoms of trench foot are a pruning of the skin, although with less maceration than with WWIF of TIF⁴, numbness as if the foot was a block of wood, and when rewarmed, itching or pain, which is sometimes described as a burning feeling.  The feet swell and first turn red, then white, and when rewarmed, turn a mottled pale blue. 

 

Immersion Foot ... WWIF and TIF!

 

Warm water immersion foot, (WWIF) appears after a constant exposure to warm-wet conditions over one to three days.  By the end
of the third day of exposure, it is nearly guaranteed, that a person will be affected to some degree or another with warm water immersion foot ⁵.  Typically, it takes three or more days of constant exposure to warm-wet conditions, to advance to the second, more serious stage, of warm water immersion foot, which is tropical immersion foot (TIF).  Both are caused by the waterlogging, or hyperhydration of the skin, through exposure to water between 59^oF to 90^oF (15^o C to 32^oC).  Tropical immersion foot is caused by the passage of water through the compromised outer layer of skin, the epidermis, into inner layer of skin, or the dermis⁶. 

 

Just like trench foot, WWIF and its second stage TIF, can be caused both by constant immersion in water, or by wearing wet or damp socks and boots for a prolonged time, in warm conditions.  For example, a hiker, walking in wet boots and socks for a week in 60^o to 80^oF (15^o to 27^oC) was diagnosed with TIF and an enlisted nurse working at a United States Airforce base, working 12 hour shifts, where she wore the same combat boots daily, for two weeks, was diagnosed with “boot foot” a non-immersion variant of WWIF⁷. 

 

The earliest symptom of WWIF is hyperhydration and pruning of the soles of the feet, which become pale, white, tingling, or painful, which victims describe as feeling like “walking on a rope”⁸.  TIF is characterized by a burning pain, which is more severe on the top, or dorsal surface, than on the bottom of the foot.  Other symptoms are a redness affecting the feet, particularly on the tops, and the ankles, with swelling, or edema, and a sensitivity to touch all over the affected area.  Walking becomes increasingly difficult and painful and if the victim takes off their boots to examine their feet, they won’t be able to put them back on, due to the swelling.  Small skin abrasions, or raw spots, over pressure points are also commonly found with TIF.

 

Now that we know how to diagnose which type of immersion foot we are presented with, whether it is trench foot (NFCI), warm water immersion foot (WWIF) or tropical immersion foot (TIF), by observing whether we have been exposed to warm-wet or cold-wet conditions and by observing the maceration of the skin and other symptoms, we can work to prevent or manage the condition so that we don’t end up in the hospital with permanent, ongoing issues.

 

For more about immersion foot, read “Accidental Lessons … Boots Freeze!©”, HERE, “Survival Tips From Jack London, Part One©”, HERE, and “Winter Survival for Tommy...Part Two©”, HERE.

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Wet Feet! ... Immersion Foot!? Part Two©”, where we will talk about how to prevent and manage and treat immersion foot!

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

¹ For an excellent article on immersion foot and the other related maladies, read “Maceration, Immersion Foot and Backpacking”, by Ryan Jordan, HERE.

 

² A French army doctor first described immersion foot, in 1812, but the name “trench foot” was first coined in the trenches of World War One, during the early 20^th century and it continued to be used to describe NFCI injuries that were experienced by Allied soldiers on the European Front of World War Two.  It has also been called “sea boot foot” or “bridge foot”, because it afflicted sailors standing four hour watch during World War Two, while remaining relatively motionless and wearing rubber sea boots.

 

³ From “Nonfreezing cold water (trench foot) and warm water immersion injuries”, by Ken Zafren, MD.

 

⁴ From “Maceration, Immersion Foot and Backpacking”, by Ryan Jordan”

 

⁵ From Internal Medicine in Vietnam: Skin Diseases in Vietnam, 1965-72, Vol. I, by Lt Col. Alfred M. Allen, page 115.

 

⁶ From “Nonfreezing cold water (trench foot) and warm water immersion injuries”, by Ken Zafren, MD., “My Feet Are Killing Me: A Hiker’s Journey”, by Neil McCormack, MD., and Cindy Carol Bitter, MD, MPH., and Internal Medicine in Vietnam: Skin Diseases in Vietnam, 1965-72, Vol. I, by Lt Col. Alfred M. Allen, page 109.

 

⁷ From “My Feet Are Killing Me: A Hiker’s Journey”, by Neil McCormack, MD., and Cindy Carol Bitter, MD, MPH., and “‘Boot foot’ with pseudomonas colonization”, by Brett Sloan, MD’, and Jeffrey J. Meffert, MD

 

⁸ From Internal Medicine in Vietnam: Skin Diseases in Vietnam, 1965-72, Vol. I, by Lt Col. Alfred M. Allen, page 105.

 

 

Sources

 

Allen, Alfred M., Lt Col.; Internal Medicine in Vietnam: Skin Diseases in Vietnam, 1965-72, Vol. I, [Office of the Surgeon General and Center of Military History, Washington, D.C., 1977], p 102-117, https://books.google.com/books?id=Quw5DlbHKt0C&pg=PR17&dq=Internal+Medicine+in+Vietnam:+Skin+Diseases+in+Vietnam,+1965-72&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiw1cjXjqP9AhWID1kFHf7qBEoQ6AF6BAgEEAI#v=onepage&q=Internal%20Medicine%20in%20Vietnam%3A%20Skin%20Diseases%20in%20Vietnam%2C%201965-72&f=false, accessed 2/19/2023

 

Jordan, Ryan; “Maceration, Immersion Foot and Backpacking”, September 15, 2019, [© Beartooth Media Group Inc.], https://backpackinglight.com/maceration-immersion-foot-and-backpacking/, accessed February 21, 2023

 

McCormack, Neil MD., and Bitter, Cindy Carol MD., MPH., “My Feet Are Killing Me: A Hiker’s Journey”, Wilderness & Environmental Medicine 2020; June 2020, Volume 31, Issue 2, pages 245 – 246, https://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(20)30009-0/fulltext#articleInformation, accessed February 17, 2022

Sloan, Brett MD., and Meffert, Jeffrey J., MD.; “‘Boot foot’ with pseudomonas colonization”, Journal of American Academy of Dermatology, Volume 52, Issue 6, June 2005, page1109 - 1110, https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(05)00986-2/fulltext, accessed February 25, 2023

United States Army, “Baby Your Feet”, Army Talks, Vol. III, No. 5, February 10, 1945, page 7-9, 18, http://www.90thidpg.us/Reference/Army%20Talks/foxhole.pdf, accessed January 18, 2023

United States Army Medical Service; Cold Injury, Ground Type, in World War II, Medical Department of the United States Army in World War II, [The Office of the Surgeon General, Washington, D.C., 1958],page 123-124, https://books.google.com/books?id=FGcwAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA122&lpg=PA122&dq=%22War+Department+Circular+No.+312.+section+IV,+dated+22+July+1944%22&source=bl&ots=BA1svMxtQ9&sig=ACfU3U1mOBWMsSPXvQ1GCQ2N3WQGQb4yYQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0sOnI7vr8AhV4QjABHdSEBrwQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=%22War%20Department%20Circular%20No.%20312.%20section%20IV%2C%20dated%2022%20July%201944%22&f=false, accessed February 3, 2023

Zafren, Ken, MD.; “Nonfreezing cold water (trench foot) and warm water immersion injuries”, [© 2023 UpToDate, Inc., updated October 26, 2022], https://www.uptodate.com/contents/nonfreezing-cold-water-trench-foot-and-warm-water-immersion-injuries#:~:text=NFCI%20or%20frostbite%20can%20usually,to%20cold%20or%20warm%20water, accessed February 17, 2023

 

Cold Feet...Wet Boots! ©

 

Cold Feet...Wet Boots!

 

It is late winter and it’s cold and wet, the temperature outside is in the upper 30 degrees Fahrenheit (2 to 3^o C).  You are stranded, it doesn’t matter why; but it is almost nightfall, the sky is clear and the temperature wills going to plummet another 10 to 20^o degrees Fahrenheit (a drop of 6^o to 11^oC) by morning! 

 

Causes of cold feet.

Worse yet, your feet are wet, again it doesn’t matter why.   So, what are you going to do to dry your boots and socks and warm-up your feet?  You were able to get a fire going, but how do you use it to dry your boots and socks, and warm your feet?

 

An excerpt from Flying magazine, June 1987, page 13, HERE.

The trainers at the USAF Survival School, Fairchild AFB, Washington state, asked this very same question in the June 1987 edition of the Flying magazine.

 

So, how would you dry your boots?  Would you, a) hang your boots right side up besides the fire, b) hang them right side up over the fire, or c) set them right side up on the ground near the fire?

 

An excerpt from Flying magazine, June 1987, page 13.

The Air Force survival experts said that a) hanging your boots right side up besides the fire was the best answer, because it was the safest and fastest choice.  Choice b), hanging your boots or other wet gear over the fire is never a good idea, if it blows or falls off the line, or the line falls into the fire, you are going to have some burnt gear and burnt gear can kill you!  Choice c) is a better choice than choice b) but boots and other gear placed near a fire to dry could be knocked into the fire.  This happened to me once about four decades ago, I had set my boots near the fire to dry, and they got pushed to close and the toes burnt off – it was a long walk home!  Also, leather if dried to close to the fire it can shrink and it is also a tripping hazard and could cause a fall into a fire.

 

An excerpt from a World War II pamphlet on the right way and the wrong way to dry socks and boots.

You could also dry you boots by using the “Buzzacott method”, but beware, I remember about ten years ago or so, on a canoe trip down the Allegheny River, telling someone about this way of drying foot gear, unfortunately he heated the rocks and pebbles so hot, that he melted his sneakers!

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Trench Foot!...Scald Feet! ©”, where we will talk about what happens if your feet get wet and cold and how to care for them.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

¹ Wilderness Survival states that the heat loss is 32 times and A Pocket Guide to Cold Water Survival says that the heat loss from being wet is 25 times that of when you are dry.

 

From Wilderness Survival, by Ministry of Forests, page 46; and A Pocket Guide to Cold Water Survival, by Coast Guard, Department of Transportation, page 12.

 

 

Sources

 

 

Buzzacott, Francis Henry; The Complete American and Canadian Sportsman's Encyclopedia of Valuable, [The American and Canadian Sportsman’s Association; Chicago, Illinois, 1905], page 32 & 36, https://books.google.com/books?id=mFcCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA36&dq=pebbles+heated+dry+boots&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwint_n_sfj8AhUzkYkEHQ_lATUQ6AF6BAgDEAI#v=onepage&q=pebbles%20heated%20dry%20boots&f=false, accessed February 3, 2023

 

Coast Guard, Department of Transportation, A Pocket Guide to Cold Water Survival, CG 473, September 1975, https://books.googleusercontent.com/books/content?req=AKW5QafxNJBmiIml6O4jiudRpr2rz8pLfodQOiq-4gZNh4xa5uIN_rq05C2yAes1AYw67Ziq189QaQaFDHBHE0SJivfCxjMW1DReANLjFqw1qX6jEl2mz1HPKXj4BRQJv8zAOcO6oDE70Dcv__VE2uPh4tEqLSzMxDRiWOv3p6ssyQjE2bevJMX7-Ol2KDtIPQVcVuaJudJMLaOOuSUVs8qYS1Nlaxnm47GVOCXLR79KzL6nV3R0zZG4DxRt9hoYrIRGugXm6RVfbU2gxeix7JLKbxpvQsNB9w, accessed May 1, 2022

 

Ministry of Forests, Wilderness Survival, [Ministry of Forests, British Columbia, 1978], p. 46

 

United States Army, “Baby Your Feet”, Army Talks, Vol. III, No. 5, February 10, 1945, page 7-9, 18, http://www.90thidpg.us/Reference/Army%20Talks/foxhole.pdf, accessed January 18, 2023

 

United States Army Medical Service; Cold Injury, Ground Type, in World War II, Medical Department of the United States Army in World War II, [The Office of the Surgeon General, Washington, D.C., 1958], https://books.google.com/books?id=FGcwAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA122&lpg=PA122&dq=%22War+Department+Circular+No.+312.+section+IV,+dated+22+July+1944%22&source=bl&ots=BA1svMxtQ9&sig=ACfU3U1mOBWMsSPXvQ1GCQ2N3WQGQb4yYQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0sOnI7vr8AhV4QjABHdSEBrwQ6AF6BAgIEAM#v=onepage&q=%22War%20Department%20Circular%20No.%20312.%20section%20IV%2C%20dated%2022%20July%201944%22&f=false, accessed February 3, 2023

 

USAF Survival School; “Survival Tip: Cold Feet”, Flying, Volume 43, Number 6, June 1987, page 12, https://books.google.com/books?id=ROu_fa-3ndwC&pg=RA6-PA12&dq=%22believe+it+or+not%22+flying+1987&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiTofnt7Y79AhVOFlkFHULtDKMQ6AF6BAgCEAI#v=onepage&q=%22believe%20it%20or%20not%22%20flying%201987&f=false, accessed February 3, 2023

 

 

 

Winter Survival for Tommy...Part Five©

This is Part Five of a five part series, to read Part Four, go HERE – Author’s Note.

 

According to the “Rule of Threes”, the  most important thing you need to do after building a shelter, is to build a fire and get some water to drink and some sleep.  After that it is time to make signals to attract attention.

 

Sixth, build a fire and provide warmth and hot drinks and food. 

 

Fire

Fire is the only comfort of civilization that can easily be taken with you into the wilderness IF you are prepared and have learned how to build one.  Fire provides warmth, discourages wild animals, allows for thawing and disinfecting water, and provides a large measure of mental comfort and support.

 

There are three fundamentals involved in creating and building a fire can be best represented by the fire triangle, these are a source of a heat, fuel, and oxygen.

 

In the wilderness, fuel is typically wood, like tinder, kindling and logs.  Wood fuel in the Arctic is scarce, in the Arctic natural fuels are the fats of animals.  Oxygen is found in the air around us, which is made up of 21% oxygen.  The source of heat can be anything from a lighter, batteries sending a spark into tinder, a magnifying glass concentrating the energy of the Sun, or a match.  The best way to produce a flame or a spark is with a match or a lighter. 

 

Damp matches, maybe dried by brushing the tip through your hair several times or by drying them in the sun.

 

Tinder is any, very fine, dry, flammable substance that can take a spark or catch on fire easily, kindling catches the fire from the tinder and as it burns it provides enough heat and flames to light your fuel wood on fire.  Tinder is the smallest, finest, and fluffiest of the three and has the greatest surface area, it should be no larger than a pencil lead; and kindling should be no thicker than your thumb, while fuel wood is the largest, around the size of your wrist, and has the least surface area.¹³  Adequate supplies of tinder, kindling and fuel, should all be gathered before you start your fire.

 

If you have a candle, light it first and then use it to light your tinder.

 

To maintain a fire inside a shelter, you must provide ventilation to supply the necessary oxygen for combustion and to exhaust the smoke.  DO NOT build a fire close to, or inside the fuselage of a crashed plane, because airplane fuel might continue to vaporize for many hours and there is a risk of fire.

 

For more on building a fire, read “Could You Survive, Survival Priorities©”, HERE, “The Top Ten Wilderness Survival Skills...Number Six©”, HERE, “The Top Ten Wilderness Survival Skills...Number Seven©”, HERE, “Remember This If You Want to be Warm ©”, HERE, and “Your Campfire and How to Use It ©”, HERE.

 

Water

Water makes up two-thirds of your bodies weight, and a deficit of just 10%¹⁴ will cause symptoms of severe dehydration and a loss of effectiveness, so STAY HYDRATED!  Also, hydration increases your blood volume, and this can help prevent frostbite and hypothermia.  

 

In a cold weather environment, imperceptible perspiration is produced at a rate of 17 ounces (500ml), or just over two cups of water every 24 hours!  Your exhaled breath is always fully saturated, and the amount of water you lose every 24 hours as you breath is another 17 ounces (500ml).  To rid your body of the waste products of metabolism, you will urinate at least 8 to 17 ounces (250 to 500ml), daily.  On the plus side, metabolism will provide you with between 10 to 17 ounces (300 to 500ml) of usable water, depending on the foods you eat.  What this all means is that even if you are lying still, you will still need to drink at least 50 ounces (1500ml) of water every day!¹⁵

 

A cloth bag full of ice, suspended by a fire with a pot below it to collect the melted water, photograph by the Author.

Sources of drinking water in the Arctic, or other cold regions, can be found in freshwater ice, snow, or old sea ice, from which the salt has been removed by repeated thawing and refreezing.  Hard packed snow is better than light fluffy snow and freshwater ice is beat of all, as it takes 50% less fuel to melt ice than it does to melt snow, to obtain the same amount of water. 

 

Remember, not all water sources are drinkable, if the water source is obviously polluted, surrounded by bones, or has no life in it, look elsewhere for something to drink!

 

DO NOT eat snow as it dehydrates and cools your body!  Small quantities can be melted in your mouth or hand before being swallowed.  Also, snow can be packed into a sealed plastic bag and put inside your clothes, but not against your skin, to melt.  But be careful!  This is a slow process, and it might chill you, and put you at risk for hypothermia.

 

In a cold weather survival situation, whenever possible warm up your drinking water.  Drinking warm water will help you keep your body temperature within the normal range and provide hydration. 

 

If possible, always disinfect drinkable water, and the best way to do that is by boiling, the CDC states that “Except for boiling, few of the water treatment methods are 100% effective in removing all pathogens”¹⁶  The CDC suggests that prior to boiling, cloudy water should be filtered through clean clothes, or left to settle, before drawing off the clear water for boiling.  The CDC recommends heating water to a rolling boil for one minute, and for an additional three minutes at elevations above 2,000 meters (6,562 feet), to ensure that the water has remained hot enough, for long enough, to destroy any dangerous pathogens.  Similarly, the National Wilderness Conference advocates bringing water to a rolling boil for one minute at sea level and boiling it for an additional one minute for every 1,000 feet (305 meters) above sea level, to ensure that dangerous pathogens are destroyed.

 

But remember “you can’t cure dead”, so if the only drinkable water you have, has not been disinfected, drink it anyways. 

 

If it is cold and you are at risk of hypothermia and frostbite, drinking plain water is your best option, avoid caffeine, and other stimulants, alcohol, and especially tobacco.  Tobacco and caffeine are vasoconstrictors, and causes blood vessels to narrow, and they may increase the risk of hypothermia and frostbite.  And DO NOT DRINK ALCHOL, it is not a stimulant!  It reduces shivering, which is one of your body's ways of keeping warm, and in small amounts, it is a vasodilator causing blood vessels to relax and widen, flooding cold blood from your extremities into your torso.  At larger amounts, it is a vasoconstrictor and has the opposite effect.

 

As a note, while tea and coffee are mildly diuretic, compared to the amount of water consumed, the effects are minimal.  So, you can drink tea and coffee, in reasonable amounts, and stay hydrated.  For more on this read “Drinking Black Tea to Stay Hydrated...Say What?! ©”, HERE.

 

For more read “Melting Snow and Ice ©”, HERE, “Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble...The 5 Stages of Boiling©”, HERE, “...No soldier should Drink any water without it Being Boiled...©”, HERE, “Water Disinfection: When is boiled, boiled enough…? ©”, HERE, and “They Can’t Cure Dead ©”, HERE. 

 

Food

 

Food is usually the last thing that you will need in a survival situation, although in a cold environment you will need calories to keep the heat furnace going. 

 

A good rule of thumb to remember though is that, if you don’t have any water to drink, DO NOT EAT!  While this is true in general, and in particular with protein rich foods, carbohydrates as they are digested produce metabolic water and can be eaten when water is scarce.

 

Metabolic water is the water produced when food is digested.  If available, eat sugary foods like sucking candies or packets of sugar.  The digestion of carbohydrates produces a net gain of metabolic water as they are digested by your body and will provide energy to run your heat furnace.  Proteins, on the other hand produce the least metabolic water, and in fact require the metabolic water that is produced, to excrete the urea and other waste products of protein digestion. 

 

In a survival situation all cooking should be by boiling or stewing and the water used to cook the food should be saved and drank, because a large amount of sustenance from the food will be in it.

 

And seventh, and last, prepare and layout distress signals.

 

Remember, it is not always easy to see you or the wreck, so you need to make it easier to be spotted, and that is where signals come in.

 

The simplest distress signal is an “SOS” signal, tramped out in the snow.  The letters should made by stomping out wide paths for form letters at least ten feet (3 meters) square and ten feet (3 meters) apart.  It would be better to make the letters using a 6 to 1 vertical to horizontal ratio, where the vertical lines are 60 feet tall (18 meters), and the horizontal lines are ten feet wide (3 meters).  If possible, rocks, wreckage, or pine boughs should be laid in the tracks to emphasize the letters.

 

Large ground signals are a good idea, because sound doesn’t travel well over or through snow, so if you are inside a snow covered shelter, you might not hear the approach of a rescue plane or helicopter.  Conversely, rescuers might not be able to hear shouts, whistle blasts or other load noises that you might make.  It might be a good idea to leave your shelter on a regular schedule, or if there are several survivors to take turns as a spotter, to watch for rescuers.  And don’t forget to have flares, bonfires, torch trees, signal mirrors and other means of alerting passing rescue planes ready and waiting.

 

In the end, winter and Arctic survival is all about preparedness and knowledge, so hopefully if you ever find yourself in a winter wilderness survival situation, this will help.

 

Don’t be that guy!  

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Cold Feet...Wet Boots! ©”, where we will talk about how to keep your feet warm and dry and how to prevent trench foot.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

¹³ Increased surface area is the reason why small fine tinder and split logs, which have a greater surface area than whole logs, catch fire and burn faster.  Oh, and whole logs are frequently covered with bark and bark is naturally fire resistant.

 

¹⁴ For context a US gallon (3.78 liters) weighs 8.34 lbs. or 3.78 kg.   

 

¹⁵ Sailing Directions (Planning Guide) for the Arctic Ocean, First Edition, by Defense Mapping Agency, page 291

 

¹⁶ “A Guide To Drinking Water Treatment and Sanitation for Backcountry & Travel Use”, CDC

 

 

Sources

 

Air Safety Institute, AOPA; “Survive: Beyond the Forced Landing”, [Frederick, Maryland], http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=57&ved=0ahUKEwjjpoab-eTYAhWMp5QKHYYIA0o4MhAWCEswBg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aopa.org%2F-%2Fmedia%2Ffiles%2Faopa%2Fhome%2Fpilot%2520resources%2Fasi%2Fsafety%2520advisors%2Fsa31.pdf&usg=AOvVaw0MXBFxEgfsS5ow6y80vbbv, accessed September 1, 2021

 

Airscoop; “Winter Survival”, Approach, Jan 1974, Volume 19, Issue 7, page 12 – 14, https://books.google.com/books?id=CJlUaA0_rtMC&pg=PP14&dq=snow+survival&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwimj8jA-Lb8AhU0MVkFHY-YBG8Q6AF6BAgHEAI#v=onepage&q=snow%20survival&f=false, accessed January 10, 2023

 

American Council on Exercise; “Fit Facts: Exercising in the Cold”, [©American Council on Exercise], https://acewebcontent.azureedge.net/assets/education-resources/lifestyle/fitfacts/pdfs/fitfacts/itemid_24.pdf, accessed January 12, 2023

 

Anderson, Ken; “How to Survive in the Desert” Popular Mechanics May 1971, page 108-111, https://books.google.com/books?id=htcDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA109&dq=Survival+uses+for+car+parts&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjiuquWmen8AhVQElkFHYzdBiQ4ChDoAXoECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=Survival%20uses%20for%20car%20parts&f=false, accessed January 27, 2023

 

Behar, Michael; “The Search for Steve Fossett: One tough job for the U.S. Civil Air Patrol”, Air & Space Magazine, March 2008, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/the-search-for-steve-fossett-24479611/, accessed January 26, 2023

 

Black, Marina; and Jonescu, Kaitlyn; “How to Survive a Plane Crash in the Arctic”, May 20, 2014, [© 2023 Prezi Inc], https://prezi.com/ceo1kdavlin0/how-to-survive-a-plane-crash-in-the-arctic/, accessed January 12, 2023

 

Burkhardt, Robert; “A Matter of Iron Rations”, The Skipper, June 1960, [The Skipper Publishing Company, Washington, D.C.] page 26, 49 – 51, https://books.google.com/books?id=_agPAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA7-PA51&dq=pocket+survival+kit&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjElLbTu778AhUJMlkFHdkbCSk4RhDoAXoECAkQAg#v=onepage&q=pocket%20survival%20kit&f=false, accessed February 8, 2023

 

Calvert, John H., Jr. Colonel; “Frostbite”, Flying Safety, October 1992, Publication 127-2, Vol. 48, No. 10, [United States Airforce, 1992], pages 14 - 15, https://books.google.com/books?id=W2PU4Rad3JMC&pg=RA21-PA26&dq=survival+pamphlet&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwim-sLv-cT8AhWMKFkFHf9FA184PBDoAXoECAkQAg#v=onepage&q=survival%20pamphlet&f=false, accessed January 13, 2023

 

CDC, “A Guide to Drinking Water Treatment and Sanitation for Backcountry & Travel Use”, [2009] http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/travel/backcountry_water_treatment.html, Accessed August 31, 2015

 

Coast Guard, Department of Transportation, A Pocket Guide to Cold Water Survival, CG 473, September 1975, https://books.googleusercontent.com/books/content?req=AKW5QafxNJBmiIml6O4jiudRpr2rz8pLfodQOiq-4gZNh4xa5uIN_rq05C2yAes1AYw67Ziq189QaQaFDHBHE0SJivfCxjMW1DReANLjFqw1qX6jEl2mz1HPKXj4BRQJv8zAOcO6oDE70Dcv__VE2uPh4tEqLSzMxDRiWOv3p6ssyQjE2bevJMX7-Ol2KDtIPQVcVuaJudJMLaOOuSUVs8qYS1Nlaxnm47GVOCXLR79KzL6nV3R0zZG4DxRt9hoYrIRGugXm6RVfbU2gxeix7JLKbxpvQsNB9w, accessed May 1, 2022

 

Combat Crew Training Wing; “Obtaining Water”, Flying Safety, October 1992, Publication 127-2, Vol. 48, No. 10, [United States Airforce, 1992], pages 26, https://books.google.com/books?id=W2PU4Rad3JMC&pg=RA21-PA26&dq=survival+pamphlet&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwim-sLv-cT8AhWMKFkFHf9FA184PBDoAXoECAkQAg#v=onepage&q=survival%20pamphlet&f=false, accessed January 13, 2023

 

Defense Mapping Agency; Sailing Directions (Planning Guide) for the Arctic Ocean, First Edition, [Defense Mapping Agency Hydrographic/Topographic Agency, 1983], page 286 - 293, https://books.google.com/books?id=dpUn0tHp7VMC&pg=PA291&dq=winter+survival+melting+snow+for+water&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVjZ2T86n8AhUEp3IEHcZyAvY4KBDoAXoECAUQAg#v=onepage&q=winter%20survival%20melting%20snow%20for%20water&f=false, accessed January 10, 2023

 

Department of the Air Force; “Snow Bound”, Driver, October 1980, Volume 15, Issue 5, page 18 to 21, https://books.google.com/books?id=gfIKIZVSao8C&pg=PA20&dq=winter+survival+car+improvised&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwisus3HiuP8AhXjEFkFHSwLDwkQ6AF6BAgLEAI#v=onepage&q=winter%20survival%20car%20improvised&f=false, accessed January 25, 2023

 

Department Of the Air Force, Search and Rescue Survival [Air Training Command, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., August 15, 1969], page 2-7 to 2-10

 

Federal Aviation Administration; “Improvising for Survival”, FAA General Aviation News, January-February 1987, Volume 26, Number 1, page 11-12, https://books.google.com/books?id=QFUNlHfp4ccC&pg=PA11&dq=aircraft+parts+used+for+survival&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj14s320df8AhWrKFkFHQA9CGwQ6AF6BAgDEAI#v=onepage&q=aircraft%20parts%20used%20for%20survival&f=false, accessed January 23, 2023

 

Federal Aviation Administration; “At Home in The Snow”, FAA General Aviation News, November-December, 1983,Volume 22, Issue 6, page 11 – 12, https://books.google.com/books?id=BWX3xkpPHFUC&pg=PA11&dq=crashed+plane+winter&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjHn4jlr8D8AhXMGVkFHYOiCYcQ6AF6BAgIEAI#v=onepage&q=crashed%20plane%20winter&f=false, accessed January 13, 2023

 

Federal Aviation Administration; “Airman Survival in the Big Snow”, FAA Aviation News, March/April 1989, Volume 28, Number 2, page 5 – 6, https://books.google.com/books?id=bIgsnbWISb8C&pg=RA1-PA5&dq=survive+blanket&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjpjM7T0eH8AhXlEVkFHc7wDLE4ChDoAXoECA0QAg#v=onepage&q=survive%20blanket&f=false, accessed January 24, 2023

 

Federal Aviation Administration; Basic Survival Skills for Aviation, [FAA, Oklahoma City, OK], page 44-51, https://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/airman_education/media/CAMISurvivalManual.pdf, accessed January 12, 2023

 

Federal Aviation Administration; “Post Crash Survival”, FAA General Aviation News , November-December, 1979,Volume 22, Issue 6, page 8 – 10, https://books.google.com/books?id=Y0YPi63uDIcC&pg=RA5-PA8&dq=survival+snow&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiu8IfVu7n8AhW8EVkFHfW2BbY4MhDoAXoECAcQAg#v=onepage&q=survival%20snow&f=false, Accessed January 10, 2023

 

Gray, Robert; “Staying Alive in a Montana Wilderness”, Scouting, October 1984, page 33 and 76, https://books.google.com/books?id=qD06AQAAIAAJ&pg=RA6-PA75&dq=I+am+bringing+grandma+scouting&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj_i8HskOP8AhWGjIkEHbaMDLsQ6AF6BAgDEAI#v=onepage&q=I%20am%20bringing%20grandma%20scouting&f=false, accessed January 25, 2023

 

Hedblom, Captain Earland E. MC, USN; Polar Manual, Fourth Edition, [National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, 1965], p. 37, https://ia800305.us.archive.org/33/items/PolarManual4thEd1965/Polar%20Manual%204th%20ed%20%281965%29.pdf, accessed 12/07/2019

 

Miller, Alyssa J.; “Survival Mode Training For The Unthinkable”, April 5, 2012, [©2023 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association], https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2012/april/pilot/survival-mode, accessed January 27, 2023

 

Mullen, John, SSGT; “Surviving the Winter Emergency”, Flying Safety, United States Air Force, November 1985, Volume 41, Number 11, page 2-7, https://books.google.com/books?id=h9qH2OtBlcoC&pg=RA8-PA5&dq=winter+survival+car+improvised&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwisus3HiuP8AhXjEFkFHSwLDwkQ6AF6BAgGEAI#v=onepage&q=winter%20survival%20car%20improvised&f=false, accessed January 27, 2023

 

Nelson, Morlan W.; “Cold Weather Survival”, Popular Science, November 1971, pages 123-126, https://books.google.com/books?id=PQEAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA123&dq=snow+survival&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwimj8jA-Lb8AhU0MVkFHY-YBG8Q6AF6BAgGEAI#v=onepage&q=snow%20survival&f=false, accessed January 12, 2023

 

Pinkerton, Paul; “Surviving A Plane Crash Pt3 – Using aircraft parts in survival”, December 16, 2016, [© 2023 Outdoor Revival], https://www.outdoorrevival.com/instant-articles/surviving-plane-crash-pt3-using-aircraft-parts-survival.html, accessed January 12, 2023

 

Schul, Dorothy; “Trapped in Hell’s Canyon”, Flying Safety, October 1992, Publication 127-2, Vol. 48, No. 10, [United States Airforce, 1992], pages 2 - 6, https://books.google.com/books?id=W2PU4Rad3JMC&pg=RA21-PA26&dq=survival+pamphlet&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwim-sLv-cT8AhWMKFkFHf9FA184PBDoAXoECAkQAg#v=onepage&q=survival%20pamphlet&f=false, accessed January 13, 2023

 

Stewart,Creek; “Survive With Your Cellphone”, [© 2023 Outside Interactive, Inc], https://www.backpacker.com/survival/survive-with-your-cellphone/, accessed January 25, 2023

 

The Air Ministry, Arctic Survival PAM (Air) 226, 1953, https://ia801909.us.archive.org/2/items/ArcticSurvival/Arctic%20Survival%20and%20Jungle%20Survival%20combined.pdf, accessed January 12, 2023

 

United States Navy, Survival Training Guide, NAVAER 00-8OT-56, [Washington D.C., November 1955], https://books.google.com/books?id=yUBS6vKvubQC&pg=PP1&dq=%22survival+training+guide%22+1955&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihzJTf6vz8AhXKKlkFHfinBNIQ6AF6BAgKEAI#v=onepage&q=%22survival%20training%20guide%22%201955&f=false, Accessed February 4, 2023

 

United States Marine Corps; Winter Survival Course Handbook, 2002, [Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, CA, 2002], https://ia802602.us.archive.org/22/items/milmanual-us-marine-corps---mwtc-winter-survival-course-handbook/us_marine_corps_-_mwtc_winter_survival_course_handbook.pdf, accessed January 9, 2023

 

Way.com; “6.5 Million Cars Are Catching Fire – Is Yours One of Them?”, [© 2023 WAY.COM], https://www.way.com/blog/millions-of-cars-are-catching-fire-is-yours-one-of-them/#:~:text=How%20often%20do%20cars%20catch,according%20to%20the%20NFPA's%20statistics, accessed January 9, 2023