The usual idea of the amount of clothing necessary to keep the body warm and to prevent freezing in extreme cold is erroneous. It is not so much a question of cold as the degree of dampness on the body surface which is affected by the cold. Nearly every death from freezing is caused by either getting too warm and then wet through perspiration or accidental immersion in water. The former can be avoided by having the clothing sufficiently loose to allow good circulation of air and by thus keeping uncomfortably cool the tendency toward perspiration is overcome. While quiet or physically inactive one may wear much clothing as there is little danger of freezing, there being no dampness present, but if one is active and perspiring and is then quiet there is great danger.
When any kind of moisture gets on the body there is only one way to get rid of it—by the body heat. Clothing does not warm one, it only retains heat made by the body. The drawing away of heat reduces one’s vitality as well as affecting the temperature of the body. Where one is physically active it is advisable to wear ordinary weight warm winter clothing of the temperate zone. Of materials wool is best next the body, except in Arctic work where a suit of silk is worn under the fur garments to prevent chafing. Two wool union suits, loosely fitting, will be found enough. The pants should be of Mackinaw which is warm, wearable, and to a certain extent water repellent. A flannel shirt or Pontiac shirt comes next and for use when one is inactive and apt to become chilled a heavy sweater coat with convertible collar is indispensable. To break the wind a parka can be pulled over head and trunk.
The parka is a garment made like a large hooded shirt coming to the knee. The edge of the face opening in the hood has a ruff of wolverine, wolf, or bear to protect the face. Wolverine is by all odds best as it is the only fur upon which the breath will not congeal. The garment is the most practical yet devised for very cold work. For use in the Arctics it is made of squirrel or deer skin worn with the fur outside and it is lined with the fur of some animal which will allow it to slip on and off easily. The drill parka which is used to break the wind and which is of particular interest to us is made on the same model only larger as it is at times worn as the outermost garment of all. The fur garments are seldom used by those who are experienced when working on the trail, they are held in reserve until camp is reached. If in actual exercise the parka would be too hot and would cause perspiration to start.
Particular attention should be paid to the protection of the hands, ears, face, and feet—the body will take care of itself. For the hands Scotch wool mitts will be ample—mitts rather than gloves for the reason that there is but one space in each to be kept warm whereas in gloves there is a separate place in each finger where heat must be maintained. A larger pair of leather mitts worn over all will be found to retain heat besides resisting wear much better than wool. The ears and face are protected by a wool cap or llama combination cap and sleeping hood. The hood of the parka with its fur edged face opening cannot be excelled for head and neck protection. The face is to some extent exposed necessarily for breathing and the nose may be expected to suffer some. The intense light reflected from the snow will necessitate the use of smoked goggles, those with rubber frames being best as no metal will then touch the sensitive flesh.
Since much of your comfort in outdoor winter work or pastime depends upon the feet a few words concerning their proper care is not amiss here. Above all the feet must be kept dry. They are pretty apt to perspire and this moisture can be absorbed by filling the bottom of the shoe packs with straw which acts also as a cushion. At the day’s end you will find the socks dry and the straw wet—the desirable condition as wet socks will freeze and the feet become chilled. The best foot covering in dry snow is the oiled moccasin or shoe pac. No tight shoes are permissible in snow work at all for they will restrict the circulation by which the warmth of the body is carried to the extremities. For wet snow the outer foot covering should be of rubber, since leather when wet freezes and becomes stiff and for this the lumberman’s rubber over which has a laced leather top with rubber foot cover is unexcelled. Next the foot wear two pairs of heavy wool lumberman’s socks reaching nearly to the knee.
If one is lost in the winter woods a bivouac constructed somewhat along the following lines will be found adequate for the needs of comfort and health. For cold weather shelter select for the site a hollow deep in the woods well surrounded by trees where all will be sheltered from the biting winds. Such a place for the summer camp would not be best because a night’s rain might flood the hollow. First find a wind break of cliff, rocks or fallen tree or build one of rocks or down timber. If it is rainy make a slant roof of poles and shingle with browse or bark and with a top cover of more poles to hold all in place. On the prairie where a windbreak is impossible build two fires at right angles to the wind and get between them. The smoke will blow away in columns parallel with your body.
If the snow is deep shovel to the ground, using the toe of the snow shoe or a flattened stick, clear a triangular space about 7 by 8 feet at whose small end, placed downhill, is put the fire, and at whose small side lays the bed. Walls of snow all around make an excellent wind break. On deep snow the fire may rest on a platform of green sappy logs such as balsam. Where the shelter is pitched the snow is tramped solid. In such a camp with a rabbit skin blanket and an all night fire one may sleep comfortably on the coldest of nights.
In sleeping out even if the days are mild the nights are pretty sure to be cold. A goodly supply of birch bark kindling and a surplus of dry wood should be laid up. It is no fun to awake chilled to the bone from the icy air and have to fumble about with wet half burnt fagots. Build the fire to leeward and within four feet of the bed. If it is very cold build it above the level of your sleeping place for you thus get more heat and less smoke. Stake two back logs behind the fire. In very cold weather build the fire against the windbreak and when it is burned down rake the embers forward, rebuild the fire in front, spread boughs where the fire was and lie there on the warm ground. This can be repeated several times during the night. If done thus there need be no danger of freezing.
In cold weather in the North, with probably the means of transportation reduced to a dog team or a back pack, the ration list must be cut down to absolute necessities. To facilitate expediency in the handling of the outfit in the cold the range of variety had best be limited. The ideal cold weather ration meeting this requirement is pemmican. At this time of the year the fats should predominate as it does in pemmican. This food keeps well, is very compact and can be mixed in a variety of ways palatable to a hungry man on the trail. Pemmican may be made at home by the method suggested in chapter on “Ration Lists.” On such trips do not rely on baking bread en route because of lack of cooking conveniences and time. Also the moisture in common bread will freeze so use unleavened bread or that ready made hardtack or ship’s biscuit as the staple. One pound of pemmican and pilot bread per day will sustain a man at hard work.
Vary the bread ration with dessicated vegetables. Now if you will add to the Arctic ration the above mentioned pemmican varied with jerked meat and the hardtack varied with dessicated vegetables, tea, and dried milk you will have a well balanced, dry, compact, palatable, and energy yielding diet.