Fire and Ice
- BVABC Pro Staffer / Ryan Dotson
- May 2, 2016
- 5 min read
When it comes to survival techniques, I have found that my failures are sometimes more rewarding than my victories. In January, I attempted my first sub-freezing challenge and did not make it past the first night. This was a bit embarrassing for me, but I quickly realized that it was a gift. I would much rather learn the challenges of fire starting during a survival challenge than I would in a real survival situation.
The most common reason people perish in a survival situation is hypothermia. In sub-zero temps with 20 mph winds there are really only two ways to prevent this issue: you can build a small confined shelter to reduce the amount of air you have to warm with body heat, or you can build a fire. Unfortunately I spent most of my day building my shelter and gathering fire wood, so I didn’t get to attempt starting my fire until an hour before sunset. I was so confident that I built a large shelter under the assumption that I would be able to get a fire started. I was wrong. It is a valuable trick knowing that holding up your hand below the setting sun will show you how many hours of light you have left between the sun and the horizon. That being said, it can be pretty scary as well.
There was a powdery coat of snow covering everything, which I knew would pose a challenge. In addition, extreme cold can reduce the gas emitted by burning wood. This gas is needed to keep the fire going. After an hour of sitting on the verge of a successful fire, I decided to hunker down and try to tough out the cold. The sun set around 6pm and within an hour I was shivering uncontrollably. I left my shelter several times to perform squats, but this method that normally would be effective was offset by the extreme winds.
I was in for a long night. As my body temperature dropped from 98.6 degrees to 96.3 degrees, early stages of hypothermia had begun. My fingers and toes were numb and starting to become very painful. I was disoriented and had a difficult time deciding if I should tap out or not. At a 95 degree body temperature one needs hospitalization, but often is too disoriented to realize that need. This is why many survivalists like myself will shut it down at 96.3 degrees. I got back inside, but it took two days to get my body temperature back to normal. In addition, I lost feeling in the tips of my fingers and toes due to frostbite. Thankfully the feeling restored after a few weeks. It was an incredible learning experience.
Determined to get this right, I immediately planned my next winter survival challenge for the following weekend. On this attempt I was much more careful gathering supplies for my fire. I did build a good shelter from cedar boughs and maple poles, but allowed myself a full three hours of daylight for fire-building. In addition, I made a few changes to my technique. With snow on the ground, I had to pull my firewood from dead branches that were up off the ground. I used both a large bundle of dry cedar twigs and birch bark for tinder. Birch bark will light even when wet and creates a large flame. Pine resin makes good wet weather tinder as well, but it would have been a long hike to the nearest pine tree. One can also use shelf fungus to catch a spark, but it is much more challenging. Anything with alcohol content can be helpful, such as hand sanitizer. I also like to carry cotton balls coated in petroleum jelly.
If you have time for preparation, char cloth is a good idea. Take any cloth that is 100% cotton and cut it into small pieces. Shove it in a metal tin and throw it in a fire. Poke a small hole in the tin to let the gases escape. When done, all the impurities are burned off and you are left with pure carbon. This should always catch a spark well. As for the structure of the fire, I’m a fan of the upside down method. To build one, put the larger logs on the bottom and smaller wood on top. It needs to be five or six layers alternating the logs back and forth perpendicular for each layer. You also want to put a layer of dirt or sand in between each layer to reduce oxygen flow. If done properly, this structure should allow your fuel to burn slower. In theory, this should require less wood and also allow you to get some sleep instead of tending the fire all night. I find this much more effective than the teepee method I was taught in Boy Scouts.
Needless to say, I was successful in building my fire. I had to use flint and steel because I couldn’t find any wood dry enough for a bow drill. However, there are so many variables that affect maintaining body temperature. The human body needs calories, hydration, dry clothes, and rest in order to maintain its temperature. Without any of these resources, a body would need to have an exterior heat source to survive. The human body drops in temperature 25 times faster in wet clothes than it does in dry clothes, so staying dry is essential. Also, radiation from a fire acts very differently when it is sub-zero versus around freezing. It seems that the cold creates a vacuum and sucks the heat away before it can do any good. It was so cold that I had to abandon my shelter and sleep on the ground right next to the fire. Just to keep from freezing, I had to sit close enough that it melted the stocking cap I was wearing. Despite having a roaring fire all night, I found myself getting up several times per hour to either walk or do squats. My cell phone got so cold that the screen shut down, so I’ve purchased an analog watch for future challenges.
It was by far the coldest night of my life. In a winter survival situation there are some many different reasons to have a fire. The obvious reason is to keep from freezing to death. Also it is one of the simplest ways to purify water, it’s almost always needed when safely preparing food, and it is a nice morale booster. Even the most experienced survival expert can have trouble getting a fire going in the rain or snow. They make it look easy on television, but there are typically hours of footage edited out before airing. If you ever find yourself in a similar fire building situation, I suggest a few essential strategies: find tinder material that burns when wet, however much wood you think you will need – double it, and give yourself as much daylight as possible to get it going. I certainly learned my lesson.
LIKE | COMMENT | SHARE
Thank you for reading our BVABC Survivalist Blog.
BVABC Survivalist Blog, BVABC.COM / BRISTOL VA BUSH CRAFTING©2016