If it's snowing or might possibly snow, don't leave any of
your gear lying flat on the ground. The best prep in the
world won't matter a damn if it gets buried right under your
nose.
For those who haven't been involved in Scouting or learned this
info otherwise and are wondering why alcohol is a bad idea - it
opens blood vessels, which has the consequence of carrying heat
away from the core of the body even faster than would be the case.
In other words, it makes you hypothermic even faster. So
just don't.
Following up Aconite's first comment, I'll bet that four Mylar
emergency blankets and a box of flares together cost $20 before
tax, if not less.
Even after almost ten years total of living within easy driving
distance of the Missouri River, it didn't occur to me until just
last week (when it got to fifteen below Fahrenheit here) that below
ten above, maybe more, the level of discomfort felt by decreasing
temperatures (alone) achieves its floor. When I mentioned this to
my father (who lives in San Diego, but grew up in Idaho and went on
lots of hunting trips in the mountains when he was a kid), without
breaking flow he answered, "Sure. That's what makes it so
dangerous." This is borne out by the verses that Jim posted.
Mount Hood near Portland is an easy enough climb that according to
popular theory, a well-guided wilderness n00b can try for the
summit in good weather. Alas, some of those have learned
the hard way what fidelio says about the unpredictability of
weather at altitude.
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