Listen, we all very fragile creatures of comfort. Mother Nature and all She Possesses will not cut you any slack in killer cold frigid environments when you start messing-up. So here are 15 Emergency Killer Cold Survival Tricks You Gotta Know so You’re Ready Anytime Anywhere.
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- Buried Alive – Group 4 Falck Survival Trick
- American Civil War Dirt Bed
- ERR Anti-Hypothermia
- ERR Insulating Bedroll
- US Army Ranger School Hypothermia First-Aid
- ERR Water-Proof Leggings
- Frigid Cold Temperature Fighting Ingredient
- Blizzard Protector
- Blizzard Shelter
- Gottlieb Frostbite Remedy
- Gottlieb Frostbite & Hypothermia Preventative
- VPJ Body Warming Trick
- Gulag Blizzard Forecaster
- Hot Gear
- Hotter Gear
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OK, let’s get started with Buried Alive – Group 4 Falck Survival Trick.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Folks I know what I’m talking about when you’re miserable cussin’ cold. From when I was a Private Know Nuthin’ in the Infantry to the Special Forces. Many times I thought I was going to die I was so cussin’ cold, but I never quit. And I relate several stories in my Survival Book – “American Elite Fighters – Are US Tax Payers Getting Their Money’s Worth?” (see below)
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Buried Alive – Group 4 Falck Survival Trick: Here’s a survival trick taught by Danish Group 4 Falck (Danish for Falcon). Group 4 Falck is a private international security company. It provides international security to include the United States. It provides all types of security to all types of sites from simple access points to nuclear sites.
And it also provides training to all its Security Officers and organizations not affiliated with Group 4 Falck. And cold-weather survival is part of that training. Danish Group 4 Falck first-aid training instructor Jens-Erik Keller teaches cold weather survival to paramedics and nurses right in the heart of cold weather environments like Greenland.
One technique taught to keep an injured patient warm in a super cold weather environment is to bury the patient. The casualty is wrapped in blankets and placed on the snow’s surface.
Snow is dug up from the surrounding area and piled up on top of the casualty completely covering the casualty from head to toe. The pile of snow actually protects the casualty from the killer cold weather elements and insulates the casualty’s body keeping it from going hypothermic, which is sure death in a cold weather environment – believe me. Now you know how Group 4 Falck survives cold weather environments Anytime Anywhere.
1st Note: Since the casualty is on the surface and completely covered with a layer of snow, there’s still ample oxygen and access to the casualty to breathe fresh air.
2nd Note: While you’re digging up snow, it’s not a bad idea to build an upwind wind-break (wall of snow) to further protect the casualty, yourself, and remaining survivors.
You just read Buried Alive – Group 4 Falck Survival Trick, now let’s see how a POW during the American Civil War using a similar method survived them cold nights at Anderson Prison.
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American Civil War Dirt Bed: POWs at Andersonville Prison were very lucky if they had proper clothes, footgear, shelter (above or below surface), and a blanket – especially during the cold winter months. But many unlucky POWs that lacked the essentials to keep them warm during the bitterly cold frigid winter months were doomed. Some POWs came up with common sensed to ingenious ways to keep themselves warm in cold weather.
One POW at Andersonville Prison, made a shelter consisting of a dug-out trench just big enough to accommodate his body. Above it was a dome shelter of bricks. He barely had any clothes, – underwear is all he had to wear. At night, he crawled into his trench, placed 02 small boards over his chest and asked his buddies “Now, boys, cover me over.” At this cue, his POW buddies covered him with sand, covering his entire body except his head. Morning came, he brushed off the sand and would ‘declare that he felt as well refreshed as if he had slept on a spring mattress.’ He survived cold nights using this technique and according to the way the book reads (This Was Andersonville – page 250), this POW, unlike 12,000 of his comrades, survived his captivity at Andersonville Prison.
Submersion under dirt has great credibility. Dirt is actually a protectant against hot or cold temperatures. Critters of all sorts burrow for protection from the elements and temperatures in both hot summer months and cold winter months. And it also aids to preserve body moisture, thus aiding to prevent dangerous dehydration.
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05-Year Evader Eric Robert Rudolph (ERR)!
After his discharge from the US Army (January 1989), ERR’s life went south and he overtly went anti-government. Before the bombings:
- Atlanta, GA – Olympic Games [27 July 1996]
- Sandy Springs Abortion Clinic [16 January 1997]
- Otherside Lounge, Atlanta, GA [21 February 1997]
- Abortion Clinic, Birmingham, Alabama [29 January 1998]
ERR had already been preparing for his life on the run (Nantahala National Forest).
ERR was not only a wanted fugitive but a wanted federal fugitive. Eventually the manhunt (Nantahala National Forest) for ERR would be one of the most massive and longest manhunts in US history, putting ERR on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list (#454), complimented with a $1,000,000.00 bounty.
The manhunt would tally up to more than $24 million dollars and at its peak, have approximately 200 law enforcement officers looking for ERR in the beginning of the manhunt. But after just 03-weeks, the manhunt was scaled back to approximately 20 investigators, 14 support staff, 04 supervisors and access to a helicopter.
Here are a few of the several survival tricks used by ERR while evading & hiding from law enforcement officers for 05-years (quotes from Survival Books). Of the several survival tricks I annotated in my Survival Book, here are a few ‘cold weather survival tricks’ used by ERR.
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ERR Anti-Hypothermia: Falling in a killer cold creek, ERR (Eric Robert Rudolph) nearly lost his life from hypothermia. What saved him was a fire he built to dry himself out. To start that life-saving emergency fire, ERR carried 02 types of fire-starting instruments. Book matches and Bic lighters.
The book matches, if not water-proof, may become useless depending how long they were saturated with water. But wet matches don’t start emergency fires NOW – RIGHT NOW when you need them. However, a Bic lighter and other lighters (flint & electric) are forgiving and can be used real quick after being submerged in water.
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ERR Insulating Bedroll: The Nantahala National Forest is bitterly cold and unforgiving during winter months. Most folks including many law enforcement officers assumed ERR (Eric Robert Rudolph) died from winter exposure. But ERR used killer Mother Nature to his advantage.
To make an insulating bedroll that protected him against the winter elements, ERR placed several layers of dried leaves around his bedroll. I assume he had a layer or two of dried leaves under his bedroll for you should avoid sleeping on the bare ground because it will suck the heat out of your body. On super cold days, ERR would hunker down in his bedroll with 03-feet of leaves piled on him for extra warming insulation.
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US Army Ranger School Hypothermia First-Aid: And speaking of insulating bedroll – when I attended the US Army Ranger School, I was in a winter class. We all carried our sleeping bags on all our patrols throughout Ranger School but NEVER NEVER used them. The sleeping bag was used for Hypothermia First-Aid. During the Mountain Phase we had one Ranger candidate go hypothermic. Our SOP was we double-bagged him. We’d take-off all his wet clothes (NEVER NEVER get in a sleeping bag with wet clothes), put him his sleeping bag with is M16 weapon (his weapon was more important than him) & zip it up, and then put that zipped-up sleeping bag with him & weapon in it and put that sleeping bag in another sleeping bag and zip it up – thus ‘double-bagged.’
Then we’d take turns carrying him and all his gear while trying to maintain noise & light discipline and carrying-on with the patrol in the steep mountains. We’d be cussing at him in a low voice for being a pussy. We carried him & all his gear for a night and day till he was extracted and terminated from Ranger School. But when our Ranger Class progressed to the next phase, the Florida Phase, then we had mass cold weather (cold water submersion) casualties. That’s another story that’s in my Survival Book – “American Elite Fighters – Are US Tax Payers Getting Their Money’s Worth?”. See this Survival Book below.
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ERR Water-Proof Leggings: ERR needed to cross the Valley River to retrieve food from various dumpsters in the nearby town. He wisely conducted his river-crossings and food raids at night. To keep his feet and legs dry while crossing the shallow Valley River, ERR individually wrapped each foot and leg with a garbage bag.
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Frigid Cold Temperature Fighting Ingredient: In my Survival Book below , I give you “Trick Yourself Into Being Warmer!” using a very common ingredient – Vaseline. And for hundreds and thousands of years, Indians used fat from various animals to repel frigid cold temperatures.
They smeared the insulating fat all over their bodies to keep warm. Penguins, seals, walruses, and polar bears are LOADED with insulating fat and spend a lot of time in super cold frigid waters. You ever see a healthy fat penguin, seal, walrus, or polar bear die from hypothermia? OK then!
On 29 November 2000, in the heart of Times Square, New York City, NY, in front of an ABC studio – Good Morning America, World Class famous magician David Blaine was live on TV. He was encapsulated inside a clear block of ice (imported from Alaska) for more than 61-hours and it was live on TV. How did he do it? It was a regimen of cold acclimation, Mind-Over-Matter, and Vaseline, yes Vaseline.
David Blaine’s body was coated with insulating Vaseline and it works. It works on the same principle as insulating fat used by Indians for hundreds and thousands of years. It helps trap your body heat. Now you have more proof of insulating Vaseline to help you fight killer hypothermia. See VPJ Body Warming Trick below.
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Blizzard Protector: One of Mother Nature’s unforgiving killers is a blasting freezing white blizzard. Indians survived these killer blizzards by using the snow itself for a shelter. Enveloped by the blizzard, Indians would separate into small groups, place their buffalo robes over themselves, and hunker down. They’d make sure they’d find a place where the snow was unlikely to drift. And they’d place a pole upright beside their spot. Being under the snow, the pole was used to measure the storm’s intensity and indicate when the blizzard has passed.
The snow would fall on them forming a hollow insulated shelter that protected them from the killer elements. They’d stay put till the blizzard was over. When the pole stopped moving & vibrating, that indicated the blizzard was over. Plus, the pole acted as a small vent for fresh air and identified their location for other Indians to dig them out. Sometimes the snow got very heavy.
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Blizzard Shelter: Many an inexperienced tenderfoot died in place from Mother Nature’s wraths – a blizzard. But savvy frontiersmen caught in a blizzard knew what to do to save their life. They wrapped themselves in their buffalo robe – coat and hunkered down. Next to him, he secured his rifle so it was vertical. It was used as a vent. He deliberately let the snow pile-up over him. The snow acted as a protective insulator against the cold temperature and blasting snow. In this position, frontiersmen have been known to last 03-days without food and water.
Inexperienced tenderfeet would fight the storm. In the process of fighting for their lives they would sweat, wetting their bodies and clothes from perspiration. This would invite KILLER HYPOTHERMIA and it reigned in cold weather environments. It was common for anyone that had close calls with blizzards luckily escaped but had toes, fingers, arms, and legs amputated to prevent killer gangrene from spreading.
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Gottlieb Frostbite Remedy: Bill Gottlieb isn’t a wilderness survival expert, however he’s an expert in alternative therapies. I highly recommend his 716-page book – “Alternative Cures – The Most Natural Home Remedies for 160 Health Problems.”
When the body (partially protected or unprotected) is exposed to cold temperatures for short to long periods of time, the fluids at the site will freeze – thus we have frostbite. And once you have frostbite you have it forever. If the frostbite isn’t treated as soon as possible, the exposed skin can turn to painful blisters and deteriorate even further.
One remedy to treat frostbitten skin is the proven natural ingredient – aloe vera. Throughout history, aloe vera has proven itself to treat abrasions, burns, frostbite, and internal disorders. To prevent permanent tissue damage, Dr. Pierre Brunschwig, a holistic doctor out of Boulder, Colorado, advises “Aloe does help take care of frostbite. You can use the gel directly from a cut leaf of the plant or using 100 percent pure aloe gel. Simply apply it liberally to the involved area four times a day until the area is healed. The aloe will stop the pain, stimulate healing, and prevent infection.” Why does aloe vera work? Let’s go back in time to 1883.
The winter of 1883, Dr. Heggers was working at the burn center at the University of Chicago School of Medicine. Bus service was canceled one super chilly day because the wind chill dropped down to a killer – 80-degrees below zero!!! Approximately 30 people waiting for the bus that was never coming ended up at the burn center for emergency treatment.
Savvy Dr. Heggers and medical staff knew that frostbite tissues and burn tissues from burn casualties had a common tissue-damaging chemical within the tissue – thromboxane. And burn patients in the past were treated with aloe vera because it inhibited thromboxane formation.
Dr. Heggers and staff decided to try treating their frostbite patients with aloe vera. They applied fresh aloe vera to the frostbite sites 04 to 05 times a day to their frostbitten patients. It turns out their treatment was a great success.
According to Dr. Heggers “All of the patients healed WITHOUT major tissue loss in the affected areas.” He also adds “When you’re putting it on, be sure that you don’t rub the skin too hard and cause loss of tissue. Put it on very gently.”
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Gottlieb Frostbite & Hypothermia Preventative: And now that you know how to treat frostbite, lets learn how to prevent killer frostbite and killer hypothermia. I long suspected the following hypothermia preventative was workable but had no proof till now.
a) Frostbite Remedy: According to Pamela Fischer, founder and director of the Ohlone Center for Herbal Studies located in Concord, California, cayenne pepper may help keep you warm. “In third-world countries, this [cayenne pepper] is a much-used folk remedy for stopping frostbite.”
Cayenne pepper and other hot chilies work externally to improve circulation thus countering frostbite. Chinese hot oil (contains chili extracts) with equal amount of olive oil will do the trick. Simply rub this concoction on your feet.
b) Laydon’s Frostbite R&D: I took some habanera chili powder with a Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) rating 200,000 SHUs and mixed it with Vaseline (an insulator itself against cold) and applied it to my feet. I put on some fresh socks and secured my footgear. In only a few minutes, I felt my feet warming-up!!!
c) Cayenne Pepper Counters Hypothermia: Pamela Fischer goes on to say that taking cayenne pepper internally will also aid in circulation – thus helping to counter frostbite and hypothermia. Simply fill a gelatin capsule with cayenne pepper and take 01 capsule per day. Fischer does not state the SHU rating of cayenne pepper. But in the past, I’ve repeatedly taken 03 capsules of cayenne pepper rated at 150,000 to CURE my backaches. I never had any problems with that dosage. YES, I did feel warm inside.
As a matter of fact, if you’ve ever eaten very spicy meals, you’ll remember that you started to heat-up, sweat and you sniffled and were continuously reaching for the water to cool off your fire-breathing mouth!!!!!
Note: Do not apply concoction to broken skin.
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VPJ Body Warming Trick: In my Survival Book (below), I gave you Trick Yourself Into Being Warmer. Here’s a rewrite:
“Here’s another unknown “survival trick” to keep you warm by tricking your body into feeling warmer. How it works exactly is unknown to me. I suspect that in some way it is connected to the central nervous system.
Next time you’re in a cold water environment, take the necessary common sense safety precautions (stay out of the water in the first place). And have this “survival trick” on hand when you need it. Prior to putting on your swimsuit and entering the water – take some VPJ (Vaseline Petroleum Jelly) and apply it to the back of your neck and down your spinal column.
The Vaseline applied at this location of your body will trick it to feel warmer! I believe the Vaseline blocks cold water from coming in contact with the spinal column which would otherwise give you sensations of extreme coldness throughout your body.
WARNING: Use this method only when it is absolutely necessary to stay in a cold water environment (rescue or survival at sea).”
OK OK, here’s 03 more Cold Weather Survival Tricks so You’re Ready Anytime Anywhere! Here’s a blizzard weather forecaster for you to AVOID being caught in one.
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Gulag Blizzard Forecaster: The words Gulag and Siberia are synonymous to some of the worst killer freezing Mother Nature could dish out to the already fragile and already sickly weak bodies of all prisoners.
But the savvy Gulag prisoners had their own weather forecasting trick to forecast blizzards so they weren’t ambushed and imprisoned to a sure death of white blasting freezing death.
- The sky turned gray, with the clouds hanging low below the mountain tops, and covering the horizon off in the distance.
- When the snow started to fall, it fell in clumps and it was wet and heavy.
- And the wet, heavy snow didn’t fall straight down, it fell at a slant with the winds changing directions. It seemed like the winds were fighting itself.
Soon after these indicating forecasters, a blinding, blasting blizzard soon followed. And remember, blizzards could not only last hours but for days with killer freezing temperatures reaching 50-degrees below zero!!!
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Hot Gear: Hot gear is a military slang term for warm clothing against cold temperatures. Our northern friends braved bitterly cold winter storms that would kill the ignorant in seconds. They routinely braved 30-degree below zero temperatures on their days of routine hunting. How do they survive bitterly cold temperatures?
For underwear they wore feathered duck skins. Over this they wore a snug suit of caribou hide with the fur to the inside against the skin. Over this they wore another but looser suit with the fur facing out.
The gap between both suits provided insulation. The hood was made of wolverine fur – the only fur that doesn’t frost from moisture from breathing. The boots are made of double hide and lined with moss for insulation and to keep the boots dry.
Hey, you may not get ahold of feathered duck skins, caribou hide and such, but wear LAYERS of clothing. OK, let’s finish with Hotter Gear.
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Hotter Gear: This is probably the warmest fur on Earth and it’s called qiviut wool and it comes from a far north critter called Musk Oxen. Musk Oxen can withstand temperatures that go down as much as 100-degrees below zero because of its qiviut wool which is 08-times warmer than wool! This very warm and soft fur is harvested during the summer months to make warm coats.
To harvest it, it’s simply combed off the gentle critter. Many garments are made from this warm wool. If you can find it, get some garments for yourself.
At the time of this writing, the only POC is from Alaska and their exact address is unknown. If you have a POC here in the continental US LET ME KNOW SO I CAN PASS THE WORD. I’d love to have some qiviut socks and gloves!
And you get PLENTY MORE Cold Weather Survival Tricks in my Survival Book below.
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MOST IMPORTANT NOTE: Now that you read & viewed ’15 Emergency Killer Cold Survival Tricks You Gotta Know’ – You’re Ready Anytime Anywhere. However, before you go out on your next outdoor adventure, please re-read “How To Plan Your Outdoor Adventure!”
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