Winter Survival Tips, Part Two©

 

 

Ok, the woodchuck didn’t see his shadow this morning, and that means winter is over, no more cold and no more snow, right?  Wrong!  Phil is only right 39% of the time¹ and February is a great time for winter snow.  Anybody remember the Blizzard of 1977?  

 

The Blizzard of 1977 obviously happened in 1977.  Between January 28th and February 1st, 50 mph (80 kph) winds whipped up snowdrifts 20 to 40 foot (6 to 12 m) high!  Also, up to 100 inches (254 cm) of snow fell, temperatures dropped from 26 to 0 °F (-3 to -18 °C), and there were 23 total storm-related deaths in Western New York alone.  Incidentally, Phil saw his shadow on February 2^nd, but the blizzard was still blowing, and continued blowing through February 4^th, 1977².

 

So, here are some more winter survival tips, which didn’t make it into earlier articles.

 

If you don’t have to go out into a blizzard or winter storm, DON’T!  If you are already out on foot, then find shelter, FAST, don’t keep walking.

 

It doesn’t have to be fancy, kicking a trench or hole in the leeward side of a snow drift will do, it just needs to get you out of the windand stop windchill from stealing away your body temperature.

 

Try to line your snow-hole or trench or whatever shelter you take with evergreen boughs, dry grass or whatever you must insulate you from the cold ground. 

 

If you’re driving and your car crashes, or slides off the road, then stay with your car because it is easier to see a disabled car in a snow drift than a person.  If not totally wrecked or in an unsafe spot, a car does make a good windbreak, but it is not warm because it lacks insulation.

 

Now that you are in shelter wrap up in anything that you have to further cut heat loss due to wind and to insulate yourself from the elements as much as possible.

 

Hopefully, you will never have to survive a blizzard stuck in a car or a snow drift, but if you ever find yourself stuck in a snowdrift, hopefully these tips will help.  Look for even more winter survival tips in part three of this article, coming soon.

 

Don’t forget to come back next week, and we will talk about The Four Horseman of survival, Windchill, Hypothermia, Dehydration, and Panic.

 

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 From “How accurate is Punxsutawney Phil?”, HERE

 

² From Wikipedia, the “Blizzard of 1977”, HERE, and “Punxsutawney Phil Groundhog Day shadow history”, HERE

 

 

 

Sources

 

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Flemens, Norm, Maj.; “Hot Info About Cold Weather”, Combat Crew, Volume 34, January 1984, page 19 to 20, https://books.google.com/books?id=KgMQ17xpzVMC&pg=PA18&dq=winter+survival+tips&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqtLWtxO-DAxUBFVkFHfIBAx04HhDoAXoECAYQAg#v=onepage&q=winter%20survival%20tips&f=false, accessed January 27, 2024

 

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Livermore, Beth; “Survival School”, Snow Country, January 1997, page 99 to 102, https://books.google.com/books?id=Q8k-kqIvS-YC&pg=PA99&dq=arctic+survival+tips&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj9meSOzO-DAxUOF1kFHXz4C8o4ChDoAXoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=arctic%20survival%20tips&f=false, accessed January 27, 2024

 

Odom, Jerry, R., CMSgt.; “Letter From USAF Survival Training School”, Driver, January 1981, Volume 14, Issue 8, page 17, https://books.google.com/books?id=UtknYZSnKEcC&pg=PA17&dq=arctic+survival&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj8yrKy1u-DAxXrKlkFHTkqC6A4HhDoAXoECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=arctic%20survival&f=false, accessed January 27, 2024

 

United States Immigration and Naturalization Service; Safety and Health Guidebook, page 77-95, [MA-502, May 2000], https://books.google.com/books?id=JR-lqAaTZGAC&pg=PA95&dq=winter+survival+tips&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiw-8G_m--DAxWUFzQIHUnTC144ChDoAXoECA0QAg#v=onepage&q=winter%20survival%20tips&f=false, accessed January 27, 2024

 

United States Air Force; “Survival in the Snow”, Driver, Volume 11, Issue 7, page 15 to19, https://books.google.com/books?id=ljEaTOOMPZYC&pg=PA16&dq=fire+starting+survive&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi45pys6YyEAxUHkIkEHZxrCts4HhDoAXoECAwQAg#v=onepage&q=fire%20starting%20survive&f=false, accessed February 2, 2024

 

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