Today I went out to my local forest to see if the ice had disappeared from the lake. I was hoping it had so I could try some hobo fishing. But the lake was still full of ice.
So I decided to go around the lake to the other side where it grows a couple of birch tree´s and try to tap a birch on sap. On my way I was making a little jump over a stream I have crossed it many times before. But this time it was a bit diffrent becasue I must have slipped or something because suddenly I stood in the stream with ice cold water up to my waist.
It was too far to walk home in my wet clothes so I stripped off my pants and boots quickly so i could get off all my wet clothes. My first thought was where is my knife and firesteel. My knife hang in my belt and the firesteel was in one of the pants pockets. Normally I carry my knife and firesteel "the armpit way" but today I had it in my belt (BIG mistake).
With cold and wet fingers and picked up my tinderpoch from my rucksack and gathered some small sticks to start to make a fire. After practising firemaking all winter this was not a problem despite my cold fingers.
My next problem was my toes they were really cold but I was afraid that if i would put them too near the fire I would only burn them. But I remembered the cover to "the swedish army survival handbook" were a man use a pair of mittens as shoes. I did not have any mittens but I had a pair of garden gloves (working gloves or what you call them) and they worked great, soon my toes was getting warm. But my legs was still freezing cold and I had started to shiver. I then remembered my trusty old Ullfrotte jacket. I pulled it over my legs and used it as a skirt.
After an hour and a half my trousers was dry enough that i could wear them. So i decided to hit for home i put on my ullfrotte jacket to get as warm as possible and with wet socks and boots I started to walk for home.
I learned a lot of things from my little addventure today, here are a few of the things I learned.
- Always have a knife and firesteel around my neck
- An extra pair of socks
- 2 plastic bags so i dont have to walk in wet boots
- 2 tinder pouches one on me and one in my pack
- If a would had been in serious trouble a re t-shirt or piece of clot would have mad a good signal where was
- A whistle around my neck
There is so many things tha could have been helpful today, a small candle could have given me th little warmth I needed for example.
Have you ever been in the same situation?
What did you do?
So I decided to go around the lake to the other side where it grows a couple of birch tree´s and try to tap a birch on sap. On my way I was making a little jump over a stream I have crossed it many times before. But this time it was a bit diffrent becasue I must have slipped or something because suddenly I stood in the stream with ice cold water up to my waist.
It was too far to walk home in my wet clothes so I stripped off my pants and boots quickly so i could get off all my wet clothes. My first thought was where is my knife and firesteel. My knife hang in my belt and the firesteel was in one of the pants pockets. Normally I carry my knife and firesteel "the armpit way" but today I had it in my belt (BIG mistake).
With cold and wet fingers and picked up my tinderpoch from my rucksack and gathered some small sticks to start to make a fire. After practising firemaking all winter this was not a problem despite my cold fingers.
My next problem was my toes they were really cold but I was afraid that if i would put them too near the fire I would only burn them. But I remembered the cover to "the swedish army survival handbook" were a man use a pair of mittens as shoes. I did not have any mittens but I had a pair of garden gloves (working gloves or what you call them) and they worked great, soon my toes was getting warm. But my legs was still freezing cold and I had started to shiver. I then remembered my trusty old Ullfrotte jacket. I pulled it over my legs and used it as a skirt.
After an hour and a half my trousers was dry enough that i could wear them. So i decided to hit for home i put on my ullfrotte jacket to get as warm as possible and with wet socks and boots I started to walk for home.
I learned a lot of things from my little addventure today, here are a few of the things I learned.
- Always have a knife and firesteel around my neck
- An extra pair of socks
- 2 plastic bags so i dont have to walk in wet boots
- 2 tinder pouches one on me and one in my pack
- If a would had been in serious trouble a re t-shirt or piece of clot would have mad a good signal where was
- A whistle around my neck
There is so many things tha could have been helpful today, a small candle could have given me th little warmth I needed for example.
Have you ever been in the same situation?
What did you do?
) on a hike and overnight bivy on "goat fell(island of Arran)" rather predictably i got cold and wet but i couldn't get the jeans to change!
