It’s such a lost skill for most of the public now to know how to survive in harsh conditions from coast to coast in the northern American continent. So it’s such an amazing experience to be able to go camping and think about what soldiers had to go through on top of just basic human survival. No wonder they were always so hungry in their journals and letters.
A million years ago, I was a CW reenactor. My unit went to a reenactment at Franklin, Tennessee. I was still rather new to the hobby, having started that spring. This was my first winter event. I was set. I had my uniform which was Jean cloth, a wool blanket, a gum blanket , and a poncho. That night, the temperature dropped like a toilet seat. The guys decided they were going to do that spoon thing talked about in the video. Not me. I'm not going to spoon with a bunch of guys. Nope, ain't happening. So there I lay on the cold ground all by my self. After a few hours of shivering, feeling my body heat literally being sucked out of me into the ground, it started to snow. I tried to build a fired. It was too small, I Han no wood to keep it going, and it is the first fire I ever built that did not give off any heat. I almost froze to death that night. I did not sleep a wink. Not fun
Yeah, I had that drilled into my head in Civil Air Patrol. Wool is amazing for most outdoor conditions, though I wouldn't wear thick wool in hot weather. Since our bodies generate heat, a layer of insulation that effective in hot weather would cause overheating. Unfortunately Union soldiers suffered under the notion that "what keeps out the cold will keep out the heat," and that was a costly mistake.
It's crazy as modern people reenacting. How at some of these events, how little of a morale booster really does help. We forget how nice we have it now.
It really takes living without to understand how we take things for granted. People don't fast like they used to, either, and this impacts the body's ability to go without food for awhile. I read the biography of Plenty Coups, the Crow Chief, and he remarked that the white soldiers were always looking to camp and eat, and they wore too many clothes. He actually wanted to leave the white soldiers behind as they tracked an enemy that stole horses because they were such a hindrance. We could learn something from the Native folk. They used to plunge into ice water to toughen up. I personally shut off the warm water before ending a shower because that is also good for health and toughening up.
Part 2, YES!!! That's so true when it comes to the smallest things that could possibly boost your morale. Food being, in my opinion, the biggest morale booster. Great video Will as always!!
The U.S. Army Survival Manual FM21-76 has a handy mnemonic for staying alive in the COLD: keep it Clean avoid Overheating wear it Loose and in Layers keep it Dry
