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| Last day of winter 2012, Mt Monadnock, N.H. |
Winter officially arrives here in the Northeast on December 21st and with that a BIG change in the weather outside. I haven't been much of a 'cold weather hiker' in years past, but this year, I intend to get out onto the trails more often. Lately I've been researching the topic on the internet and discovered four things I needed to become more educated about in order to protect myself from the colder weather conditions.
- Wind Burn
- Snow Blindness
- Frostbite
- Hypothermia
Is there such a thing as wind burn? Not really, in fact, wind burn is actually a sunburn. During the winter months the cooler temperatures and cloudy sky's give hikers a sense that there's no danger from the sun. It's true the clouds block the suns light, but not the ultraviolet rays! These easily continue to pass through the clouds. If your outdoors no matter what time of the year, sunscreen is always a good idea.
What is Snow Blindness? Back again to ultraviolet light! Reflection will be the enemy here. Basically UV rays from the sun (even through the clouds) are reflected off the snow potentially causing damage to your eyes. Nothing a good pair of uv rated sunglasses or snow goggles wouldn't take care of. In fact, I've read on Instuctables.com that 'emergency' snow goggles could be created by using duct tape.
Now here's an important one for me personally, Frostbite. Body parts exposed and furthest from the heart are the most bitten. The different degrees of frostbite begin with mild symptoms that most folks have probably experienced already such as reddening of the skin followed by chaffing, itching & pain. If exposure continues one could potentially lose a piece of, or a whole something. In addition to this, certain medical conditions such as diabetes or even medications you may be taking could make you more vulnerable to the condition. For me personally, I take a Beta-Blocker that reduces the blood flow to my extremities. If I'm not paying careful attention this could become a problem.
Lastly Hypothermia is one that I would put higher on the danger list. "Stumbles & Mumbles" often are the first sign of an afflicted person followed by shivering and difficulty using your hands. I've experienced some of these mild symptoms after spending too much time shoveling snow. Continued exposure could potentially become life threatening even leading to cardiac arrest. Once a hypothermic person reaches the severe end of the scale, often even moving a victim could cause them to go into shock. For more info CLICK
I think Shakespeare said it best:
What is Snow Blindness? Back again to ultraviolet light! Reflection will be the enemy here. Basically UV rays from the sun (even through the clouds) are reflected off the snow potentially causing damage to your eyes. Nothing a good pair of uv rated sunglasses or snow goggles wouldn't take care of. In fact, I've read on Instuctables.com that 'emergency' snow goggles could be created by using duct tape.
Now here's an important one for me personally, Frostbite. Body parts exposed and furthest from the heart are the most bitten. The different degrees of frostbite begin with mild symptoms that most folks have probably experienced already such as reddening of the skin followed by chaffing, itching & pain. If exposure continues one could potentially lose a piece of, or a whole something. In addition to this, certain medical conditions such as diabetes or even medications you may be taking could make you more vulnerable to the condition. For me personally, I take a Beta-Blocker that reduces the blood flow to my extremities. If I'm not paying careful attention this could become a problem.
Lastly Hypothermia is one that I would put higher on the danger list. "Stumbles & Mumbles" often are the first sign of an afflicted person followed by shivering and difficulty using your hands. I've experienced some of these mild symptoms after spending too much time shoveling snow. Continued exposure could potentially become life threatening even leading to cardiac arrest. Once a hypothermic person reaches the severe end of the scale, often even moving a victim could cause them to go into shock. For more info CLICK
I think Shakespeare said it best:
"Thou knowest, winter tames man, woman, and beast."
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