Surviving Severe Heat
Surviving severe heat during the summer months Severe heat during the summer or in desert environments is miserable for adults as well as children. Playing outdoors is out of question due to the risk of heat stroke and severe sunburn. Rolling blackouts become a common occurrence because everyone is draining the power supply running air conditioners and fans. People suffer from dehydration and heat exhaustion. Follow these steps to learn how to survive a heat wave. 1 – Drink plenty of fluids to survive the heat. This includes water, juices and caffeine-free beverages. 2 – Play or work outside in the early morning and late evening when the temperatures are a cooler. 3 – Run high energy appliances at night. Running the dryer and dishwasher during the day heats up the house and puts a strain on the electrical system. With the heat outside you can hang clothes up and the sun will dry them just as fast as a dryer would. 4 – Call your...
Proper Clothing
Proper Clothing
Examples of proper cold weather/mountain apparel
Severe cold and harsh winds can freeze unprotected flesh in minutes. Protect the whole body, hands and feet. Wear a hood – it should have a drawstring so that it can partly cover the face. Fur trimming will prevent moisture in the breath freezing on the face and injuring the skin. Outer garments should be windproof, with a close enough weave to prevent snow compacting, but porous enough to allow water vapor to escape – NOT waterproof, which could create condensation inside. Base layers should trap air to provide heat insulation. Animal skins make ideal outer clothing as well. Openings allow heat to escape; movement can drive air out through them. If clothing has no draw strings, tie something around sleeves above cuffs, tuck trousers into socks or boots. If you begin to sweat loosen some closures (collar, cuffs). If still too warm remove a layer. Do so when doing jobs like chopping wood or shelter-building. Only a...
Mountains
MOUNTAINS
Mountain peaks are exposed to high winds and often covered in snow. They provide neither food nor shelter. Climbing rock and negotiating ice and snowfields calls for special skills, which are best learned first-hand in mountaineering schools and practiced under supervision. No inexperienced person should think of trying to tackle real mountaineering territory, except as a learner with a properly organized party. But disaster may leave you on a mountainside or force you to cross a mountain range to get to safety.
If no rescue is likely, the first aim in daylight should be to get down into the valleys where food and shelter are available. At night and in bad visibility this is too dangerous. Some kind of shelter must be found until visibility improves. Dig into the snow if there is no shelter among rocks and no wreckage to provide cover. If below the snow line you must cover yourself to prevent exposure. A plastic bag will make an improvised...
How to Start a Fire
How to Start a Fire Always light your fire from the upwind side. Make sure to lay your tinder, kindling, and fuel so that your fire will burn as long as you need it. Igniters provide the initial heat required to start the tinder burning. Methods for starting a fire fall into two categories: modern methods and primitive methods. Modern Methods – Modern igniters use modern devices—items we normally think of to start a fire. Matches Make sure these matches are waterproof. Also, store them in a waterproof container along with a dependable striker pad. Convex Lens Use this method only on bright, sunny days. The lens can come from binoculars, camera, telescopic sights, or magnifying glasses. Angle the lens to concentrate the sun’s rays on the tinder. Hold the lens over the same spot until the tinder begins to smolder. Gently blow or fan the tinder into flame, and apply it to the fire lay. Metal Match Place a flat, dry leaf under your tinder with a portion exposed....
Cold Weather Survival
Cold Weather Survival It is more difficult for you to satisfy your basic water, food, and shelter needs in a cold environment than in a warm environment. Even if you have the basic requirements, you must also have adequate protective clothing and the will to survive. The will to survive is as important as the basic needs. There have been incidents when trained and well-equipped individuals have not survived cold weather situations because they lacked the will to live. Conversely, this will has sustained individuals less well-trained and equipped. You must not only have enough clothing to protect you from the cold, you must also know how to maximize the warmth you get from it. For example, always keep your head covered. You can lose 40 to 45 percent of body heat from an unprotected head and even more from the unprotected neck, wrist, and ankles. These areas of the body are good radiators of heat and have very little insulating fat. The...
The Science of Cold
The Science of Cold CoolAntarctica.com Humans are essentially tropical animals and are not equipped to deal with even mild cold. That we can live in cold climates is a result of behavioural adaptations such as wearing appropriate clothing and building shelters. Successfully surviving cold requires two simultaneous events. Firstly, generating sufficient body heat by burning appropriate food and secondly, preventing the loss of that heat by suitable clothing and shelter. The lowest temperature that can be endured is a combination of the duration and the extent of the exposure, so it is not easily determined. A naked person will start to feel cold if the surrounding temperature drops below around 25°C (77°F). Physiological responses such as shivering and diverting blood away from the extremities and surface of the skin will then kick in. These physiological responses mean that a reasonably well nourished adult can maintain their core temperature in still air just above freezing point wearing only light clothing. Moving Air Wind is very effective at removing heat....