# As Freezing Persons Recollect the Snow--First Chill--Then Stupor--Then the Letting Go



## Live Oak (Dec 22, 2003)

I have started this new forum section for those who may have an interest in this area. 

For those who do NOT, you may want to develop an interest. FAR to MANY have no understanding or realization of how tenuous and fragile a thread our civilization and all we take for granted hangs by. 

I came across this article of person who give their account of nearly freezing to death and thought some others here might find it of interest. 

I will continue to post and add articles, links, and information in this section in the future. I hope and encourage MANY others will as well. 

If you think something like this cannot or will not ever happen to YOU.........think again. :truth: 




> As Freezing Persons Recollect the Snow--First Chill--Then Stupor--Then the Letting Go
> 
> The cold hard facts of freezing to death
> By Peter Stark
> ...



http://outside.away.com/outside/magazine/0197/9701fefreez.html


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## Cannuck-elhead (Feb 25, 2009)

Chief, along those same lines, I read a very interesting article about surviving a "domestic crisis", something along the lines of a widespread power outage, such as happened in the NE in (luckily) the summer of 2003. The blackout affected an estimated 10 million people in Ontario and 45 million people in eight U.S. states. It lasted (depending on location) up to 3 days.

Had it been during a cold snap over the winter, the results might have been very different.

The crux of the article was that anyone who lived in a 'cold climate' should have a single large room that is insulated fully, interior walls as well as exterior, if possible it should have no exterior walls, and it should also be insulated beneath the floor and above the ceiling if not already so. This room could then be equipped with a small woodstove.

It also stated that anyone buying a wood stove should be sure to buy a "multi-fuel" stove that could burn a wide variety of biomass products.

Some even have an internal hopper arrangement such that once you have a fire burning, the heat of the fire dries the material waiting to be burned.


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## chrpmaster (May 5, 2004)

Interesting article Randy. Makes you stop and think about going outside to work in the woods without the right clothing. Especially alone.


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

I agree. Very good point indeed. Years ago, I got stranded in the early morning hours on a highway, in weather well below 0 degrees. I was hitting a head wind with no hat (even then I was bald) and wound up getting all disoriented. Luckily, I wound up getting a ride with a bunch of drunks, who brought me somehow, safely to civilization.  I always pack a great deal of extra clothes and boots and what in my rig these days. Never can be too safe! Thanks for sharing Chief.


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## kiramarie (Aug 1, 2011)

So many take things like extreme temps. less serious than should.. I was a roofer for over a decade.. it was the extreme heat and overall climate change that chased me in doors at the age of 38 to come to the realization I only knew manual labor... got a kid just started college and a HS senior and junior right behind .what was I gonna do.. couldn't quit and afford to re educate myself . So I went back to the roof... New Orleans area is below sea level.. levy s blocking any breeze the Mississippi might bring.. not to mention how many refineries and other factories liter our banks.. with humidity the heat index often is 110 to 115. Now add the setting of being a few stories up or a hot mop roof.. that we would go to work at 9 pm till sunrise.. and still in the 90s at night , many men got flash burn , and the frigging bayou bugs(mosquitoes) . I found out first hand how dangerous the heat can take you down.. this particular day we were in a place called Grand Isle.. on a huge 3 story roof that was an 11 pitch ( a roof is gauged in pitches from 4 to 12 .. pretty much a 10 pitch up it un- walkable and we use tow ropes of ridge every 4 ft and a series of tow boards for our bodies .. an 11 or 12 we would use harness sets in addition to the above set up. Roofs like these are dangerous and strenuous in every aspect.. no possible respite from the sun.. the asphalt material the shingles are made of can be like pulling a pan out the stove to some.. I am life long bare footer, my people say my feet are like dog paws, you kind of get adapted but not quite. you can get 2nd degree burns on the sides of you butt and leg from day after day of sitting on the hot asphalt scooting along, and your hands will be swollen and blistered until you adapt.. if you can. Alot of first timers on the job walk off with in hours..so we sit on sponges we get from insides of couch cushions..on roofs like this and this one in particular after we have ripped the old roof and dried in I systematically have the shingle bundles laid on ridge.. 4 men below me ready to nail.. I slide the shingles down to the men like a conveyor belt with incredible precision a shingle to each in a constant rotation. As the first man hits the edge of the roof he drops behind to start new line.. we climb from bottom right in a stair like manor up to the top. On this day it was about 106 with humidity. I was coming down after about 3 1/2 hours , with tow rope in hand I snaked down to a valley and tossed the rope away from myself. Shiming down the valley was like second nature as I always keep one of the ladders at bottom of the valley. I remeber seeing stars and feeling the blood drain and in a moment my body was actually freezing cold and covered with a sweat , I vaguely remember this part... dangling off the side of this roof and being held by one of my workers.. he had my hair and was reaching the edge of a gutterless roof his ownself from me pulling him off. I screamed for him to let my hair go.. felt like my head would rip off any second... then nothing... fade to black... I woke up on the ground everyone around me.. they said it had only been a minute or so..I felt weak and dizzy but overall i survived.. I stood up and began to berate the man for almost scalping me when everyone got quiet and one worker began to vomit about then I realized how warm my pants felt and figured I pissed or crapped on my self due to passing out and the fall.. NO, instead I reach back and pulled out my backside a bloody pc of glass I fell on, window pane that was leaning on side of house. When I stood up I still had a pc of glass stuck in my leg about the size of a grown mans hand. Grand Isle is flipping a drive.. so rather than wait we rushed me to the ER.. where I was told after I received 38 staples in my leg..(actually exactly where the butt and leg meet.. ) that I had a mild case of heat stroke..Now still to this day I have to monitor myself outdoors and did leave the roof . My being bi-lingual landed me a job by accident doing a intake translation for a friend.. the doc asked me if I wanted a job and now just about 3 yrs later still there.. I do go on the roof often still but now have a whole different perspective and respect for the heat. So be careful out there..and take any extreme condition whether it be cold or heat seriously..


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