Travelling in the Northern or Boreal Forest in winter carries with it some unique perils. Winter bushcraft incorporates a knowledge of these risks:
Extreme Cold.
Boreal forest temperatures can drop down to minus 50 Celsius, often even lower. Temperatures of minus 30 are not peculiar and you have to go prepared for low temperatures. The most obvious dangers associated with low temperatures are frostbite and hypothermia. You have to have clothing, suitable equipment and experience enough to cope with the cold conditions. Even then, you have to be careful.
RapidlyRapidly Changing Temperatures.
The boreal forest in the northern part of Scandinavia continually experiences heavy movements in temperature, some of which can on occasion be rapid. This is because of the geographical placement of Scandinavia along with the vicinity of the ocean. As an example on a recent trip we experienced a cold day of minus 20 to 30 Celsius with an evening fall to low readings of nearly minus 40. This temperature reading was followed by an night-time upswing to about minus 8 for the next day – nearly 30 degrees difference in just 12 hours! That day, the temperature rose a bit further to the extent the snow falling on us was wet. This was followed by a clear sky that evening with an allied drop in temperature to between minus 10 and minus 20.
Speedily changing temperatures in the boreal forest may cause the winter camper more difficulty than constant cold. The change can take you by surprise, particularly when temperatures drop rapidly. When the temperature drops all of a sudden, if your clothing is damp, then you can have some serious difficulties. 2nd, managing your layering, hand-wear, head-wear and temperature can be difficult. It can be difficult to judge how many layers to put on for the day. If temperatures rise, you can end up too hot and sweaty. If temperatures drop, while you are working at a high rate, the cold can creep up on you and hit you hard when you stop. Varying temperatures also change snow conditions from one day to the next. If the temperature is above minus 10 Celsius, it gets difficult to form a solid platform of snow on which to pitch a tent, and quinzees won’t freeze well.
Open Water.
In many ways the raw material of nightmares, open water is an area on a body of water that has not frozen over and is, as the description aptly puts it, open. Open water can happen where the temperature or the movement of the water prevents it from freezing, regardless of sub-zero Celsius air temperatures. On our recent trip we saw open water on the river and this was in areas such as rapids and narrower sections, where the flow of the river would be faster. On the river we also avoided numerous depressions in otherwise uniform snow. These dips in the snow indicated the possibility of areas of formerly open water that had recently frozen over and started to be covered with snow. Here the ice could still be thin. On foot, you’ve more prospect of seeing open water before you reach it than you do while travelling fast on a snow machine.
Overflow.
Overflow is sometimes made by the weight of snow on top of the ice causing water to be forced out thru cracks in the ice (regularly where it meets land) or areas of open water. Overflow water then seeps under the snow that rests on the ice, seeking the low-points of the upper surface of the ice. Overflow sits as a layer of water between the ice and the snow above it. The snow insulates the water from the sub-zero air, preventing it from freezing. Overflow regularly exists on top of thick, solid ice and is not necessarily an indication of thin ice. The primary difficulty with overflow is getting wet in cold air temperatures. When you walk into overflow it is possible to get wet feet, snowshoes and kit. As quickly as the water is exposed to the air temperature it freezes quickly, making a bulky layer of ice and snow to adhere to snowshoes, boots and sleds.
Hot Stoves.
By their nature, stoves get hot. The tiniest touch of a hot stove can burn skin or melt synthetic clothing. Even parts of a stove that are engineered to diffuse heat so they keep cool enough for you to touch them (like handles on the oven doors and damper controls) can get too hot and burn you. Some caution and a pair of leather gloves will help in avoiding burns. You also need to take care moving around close to the stove as a trip or fall onto the hot metal could cause major injury. Remember the snow around a warm stove can soften, making it more likely to give way when you stand or kneel on it. It is possible to get a stove so hot that parts of it glow red, especially parts of the chimney. You have to be very careful as an excessively hot stove could contribute to a tent fire. A hot kettle on the oven and mugs of hot drink in a confined space with no firm surfaces are also perils of which to be aware. You don’t need much hot water on a hand to form a debilitating scald.
Paul Kirtley teaches bushcraft and survival. He is passionate about nature, outdoor life, remote travel and the skills required to remain safe. This is something that comes across very clearly during his bushcraft courses.