Chilly Observations

Wow it's COLD! (10° F with wind driving the temperature down to -5°.)

As I was breaking up the ice at the end of the driveway a few thoughts were running through my head.

1. In eight minutes I started feeling the frostbite I had on my ears and hands. It burns, it tingles, and then the extremities go numb and stiff.

2. I'm not a big fan of down as an insulator. That's no secret. But my parents just brought me a down vest as an early Christmas present and it has done a remarkable job of keeping my core warm despite the temperatures. Maybe I've got to rethink it as an option.

3. I wonder if I could use one of those automotive window reflectors under my sleeping bag to winter hammock camp. It'd be light, durable (enough anyway,) and inexpensive. Plus the material is designed to be both windproof and to reflect heat back to you. This is something I need to investigate more.

4. It seems like forever since I last spent quality time outdoors bushcrafting. I need to try and get out this weekend despite the temperatures and sit in front of a fire.

Oh, one more thing:

Check out Mungo's blog post here. He's done a write-up on Dersu Uzala with the movie in 16 parts. This is a fantastic movie by Akira Kurosawa and has quite a lot of bushcraft executed by Dersu. It takes some time to go through the whole movie but I think it'll be time well spent. I watched it again last night.

Thanks for reading,


B