Keeping warm in the Big Chill

The year was 1860. Pony Express rider Richard Egan and his trusty steed trotted from Camp Floyd into a blizzard. As night approached, the snow depth was halfway up his horse’s legs; during the night, the snow depth reached the horse’s belly. Squinting into the blowing snow, Egan was unable to see the trail after dark. He decided to keep the wind on his right cheek and keep moving, all through the night.

At dawn, he soon found that he had somehow just ridden in a huge circle and was back at Camp Floyd. Without a rest break, he chose a fresh horse and trotted off on his route again.

This story from long ago proves a couple things.

One, men have historically been no good with directions. And two, we’ve made huge improvements in gear that allow us to stay warm in the cold outdoors.

Pony Express riders didn’t have polypropylene, GPS units, cell phones with internet or horse shoes with cleats. What they did have was unbelievable determination to do their job, no matter what the weather conditions. Fast forward to present times. Most of us don’t have to ride through winter’s cold and snow – although our mail and package deliverers, trash pickup crew and others must spend long hours outdoors.

Faced with horrible wind chills and storm, most of us can instead just decide to limit our outdoor excursions to quick runs back and forth to our vehicles, stores and work places.

And that’s too bad, because a stunning winter landscape awaits.

Taking on the Big Chill can be easy, with just a few changes in gear and some planning:

1. Hats/headgear – Most of us have heard the old saying, “If your feet are cold, put on a hat.” This saying was supported by a 1970 edition of a US Army field survival guide that estimated “40 to 45 percent of body heat” was lost through the head. Modern medical science has corrected that number – which wasn’t logical, since your head accounts for about 10 percent of your body’s surface area. Still, if your head is not covered you’ll definitely lose body heat that way. When it’s bitterly cold, cover everything.

2. Feet – I’ve tried everything, battery-operated socks, “space” socks, socks infused with silver, and even socks with compartments for individual toes. My feet were always cold. Now I use two techniques: If I’m going to be on the move, I wear a base layer of polypropylene liner socks, covered with wood-blend socks, and may add chemical pac warmers to each boot. If I’m going to be stationary, such as hunting from a ground blind or elevated stand, I use the two layers of socks plus carry over-boots, which are insulated boots to put on over your regular boots. In either scenario, your winter boots should be a size larger than you normally wear. If those extra layers make your boots fit too tightly, you won’t have the air space to allow your feet to stay warm.

3. Always carry some type of emergency kit which contains a means to start a fire, a compass (in case GPS batteries wear out too quickly in the extreme cold), and dry hats, gloves and socks. Make sure someone back home knows where you’re going and what time you plan to return.