HYPOTHERMIA IS NOT COOL

HYPOTHERMIA IS NOT COOL

PACK A FEW EXTRAS, BE PREPARED, AND STAY SAFE

By Gerry Godsoe

A few years ago, a hiker got confused on a hiking trail and became disoriented in the Gatineau Hills, close to Ottawa on a pleasant fall afternoon. He was middle age, not outstandingly fit and had limited navigational skills. But with and no basic survival equipment in his pack (extra clothing, water or food; a whistle and matches) he spent a miserable night in a cold rain that swept in after dark. During the night he lost his watch.

The next day dawned cold and clear but soon clouded over again. When found by search and rescue volunteers around midmorning, he was wet, cold, lethargic and confused. Without a watch, and with decreasing mental alertness, he was convinced that the cloudy morning was the beginning of another unpleasant and potentially dangerous night in the woods. He was still able to walk to the waiting ambulance. He probably would have lasted another night but not much more.

The hiker was suffering from hypothermia – some call it “the great woodland killer.” Hypothermia is a cascading decline in core body temperature, and given the limited temperature tolerance of the human body, it’s obviously wiser to prevent hypothermia than have to deal with it, especially in the wilderness.

Forget bears, wolves and moose. Hypothermia is the single greatest danger we face in the Canadian outdoors. It can kill at any time of the year. In fact, spring and fall can be more dangerous than winter because of rapid weather changes and the natural tendency to leave the extra equipment at home, and skip heavy-duty preparation.

The old hiking expression, “grumbles,

mumbles, fumbles and stumbles” describes how things go downhill as hypothermia takes hold. It’s easier to spot it in others than be aware of it – or admit it – in ourselves. If someone in your group suggests you put on another layer of clothes or rain gear, listen up.

It helps to know that the human body loses heat five ways: by “conduction” through direct contact; by radiation into your surroundings; by convection as the air flows by; by breathing; and by evaporation from our skin.

The greatest heat loss is by conduction. Think of it this way, if you are sitting or lying on the ground, your body is trying to heat the entire planet – and losing. Anything that will keep you off the ground, like tree branches or a backpack, will help conserve body heat.

The wind robs us of heat through convection. You will instantly feel warmer if you simply pull a hood up on a cold windy day, or feel the difference if you step behind an evergreen tree or out of the wind in a small hollow. A dry spot at the base of a tree or a hole in a drift of snow can provide enough shelter to survive.

Swimmers, canoeists and rain-soaked hikers know that water steals heat many times faster than air at the same temperature. When the ice breaks, or you just fall into water, hypothermia cripples your ability to get out of the water. You can drown.

Proper clothing stops radiation heat loss. The three-layer principle is critical: an inner

layer to wick away moisture, a middle layer for insulation, and an outer layer to stop the wind and rain. Heat loss through respiration and evaporation can be reduced simply by slowing down. When the chips are down, remember: “You sweat, you die.”

Hypothermia can be mild, moderate or severe, depending on the core body temperature. In the woods, that can’t be measured, but there are rough and ready indicators. If the person is still conscious, shivering and able to talk, you’re dealing with something that can be relatively easily handled. Preventing further heat loss with shelter; dry clothes or a sleeping bag, rest, a warm drink, a fire and reassurance – that will probably do the trick.

If someone is no longer shivering and either lethargic or unconscious, you are dealing with severe, life-threatening hypothermia. Get the person to advanced medical aid quickly, but be careful! If you pull the person to their feet and make them walk, the cold blood in their limbs may flow to the core and cause heart fibrillation to the point that the heart will falter and may stop altogether. Keep any severely hypothermic person prone and avoid jostling to reduce this risk.

Faced with someone’s severe hypothermia in the back country you have a tough decision: make camp and send for help, or try and carry the person out. Carrying someone through the woods on a real litter, a travois or an improvised stretcher, requires a platoon. The books say 18-20 people are needed to carry someone any distance, including a leader to break trail and someone to monitor the casualty. You don’t want this dilemma.

Think about preventing hypothermia. Recognize it if it happens and know what to do about it. If you are lost in the woods, stay put, keep warm and dry and wait for help to arrive. Even a plastic garbage bag can serve as an emergency shelter – if you have one in your pack.

The Scouts say, “Be prepared.” They got it right.

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