Cold fingers

[TheGDog]

I don't know how you guys do it, that live in these places where stuff goes single-digits and below.

Once had to fly out to Ohio in February, it was -18F. I noted that if I took my non-gloved hands out of my jacket pocket... you could count to like 5.. and you'd start to feel them getting "angry" with you and telling you to put them back in the jacket!

Nothing worse then not having enough gear to properly deal with the cold out in the field.

My worst (which I'm sure is way more pathetic than any of you guys) was getting woken up by the cold at 3am, because the spot I was at, doesn't usually get all that cold, so just had a 40F rated bag, but that night it dropped down to like 33F. And I typically don't try to sleep in my hunting clothes. So then I first had to put back on all those freezing clothes, then re-stuff myself back into the bivvy.

Ugh... that severe, uncontrollable, all-over, violent body-shivering is rough!

Or like... you figured you layered up enough for the temps on the forecast... but then... the cloud-cover rolls-in at your same altitude, blocking out the sun as well, so that and the wind that picks up.... singing in the pine needles... freezing the condensation that landed on them... QUICKLY lets you know what part of your clothing
system isn't enough!

 

[def90]

That was my question. Is it a sign of more significant damage?

If they didn't start turning gray or black you are probably fine. Give them a few days to recover, in a way it's basically the same as a burn.

 

[49ereric]

Spent a cold winter roughnecking in the oil fields in the early 80’s.
it takes serious cold to bother me much now but much better clothed these days.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Somehow you get used to that woody feeling just before you put you hands in your armpits.

 

[KsRancher]

Spent a cold winter roughnecking in the oil fields in the early 80’s.
it takes serious cold to bother me much now but much better clothed these days.

Would you happen to have been in Ks? I have heard my dad talk one winter in the early 80's. He said it was the coldest for the longest he can remember. He said they would get a metal bucket and fill with cotton seed hulls soaked in diesel lit on fire. They would put them in places to keep some things on the rig unthawed. I have never worked on one so I don't where they would have been placed. But I sure can tear one down and put it back together. Swamped on a gin truck right out high school.

 

[49ereric]

Would you happen to have been in Ks? I have heard my dad talk one winter in the early 80's. He said it was the coldest for the longest he can remember. He said they would get a metal bucket and fill with cotton seed hulls soaked in diesel lit on fire. They would put them in places to keep some things on the rig unthawed. I have never worked on one so I don't where they would have been placed. But I sure can tear one down and put it back together. Swamped on a gin truck right out high school.

Western ND. Triple drilling rig I was on had steam for heat but jets were too small in the boiler to get things real warm. We use methanol in a used steel dope thread bucket and tossed in a match doesn't soot things up.
when we moved the rig is when we got real cold as no heat.
Gin pole truck driver almost got a driller killed setting substructure mats on a dam cold day. -25° on top of a hill wind blowing like mad and the driver backed into an already set mat to hard and chain broke and the mat swung and push the driller under up to his neck. Couldn’t pry the mat up with swamp pipes but the gin pole truck got backed in and we got the mat up enough to pull him out. His foot up on his chest only good thing was we’re close to Dickinson nd and ambulance came in 20 minute. Driller was sweating like a pig despite the cold.
multiple compound breaks tibia and fibula plus the femur bone. He lived but came back to work 11 months later still not walking normal. Can’t remember if he had broken ribs or not but we visited the hospital the next day and he said “boys I thought I knew what pain was but I didn’t have a clue”
severe cold causes all kinds of trouble.

 

[KsRancher]

Western ND. Triple drilling rig I was on had steam for heat but jets were too small in the boiler to get things real warm. We use methanol in a used steel dope thread bucket and tossed in a match doesn't soot things up.
when we moved the rig is when we got real cold as no heat.
Gin pole truck driver almost got a driller killed setting substructure mats on a dam cold day. -25° on top of a hill wind blowing like mad and the driver backed into an already set mat to hard and chain broke and the mat swung and push the driller under up to his neck. Couldn’t pry the mat up with swamp pipes but the gin pole truck got backed in and we got the mat up enough to pull him out. His foot up on his chest only good thing was we’re close to Dickinson nd and ambulance came in 20 minute. Driller was sweating like a pig despite the cold.
multiple compound breaks tibia and fibula plus the femur bone. He lived but came back to work 11 months later still not walking normal. Can’t remember if he had broken ribs or not but we visited the hospital the next day and he said “boys I thought I knew what pain was but I didn’t have a clue”
severe cold causes all kinds of trouble.

Dang. No thanks. Glad I got out when I did. That work wasn't for me.

 

[Burnsie]

Never had such cold fingers as when I used to ice fish walleye with a buddy of mine. We would drive out on the ice and sit for hours in the dark playing cards and watching for our tip-ups to trip. We were often out in 15-20 below temps. Was fine until you had a fish on - hands in the water, wet slimy fish coming up through the hole. By the time you had the fish on the ice, your hook re-baited and tip-up reset your fingers felt like they were going to fall off. You prayed you didn't have another fish on for awhile, so you could warm up.

 

[49ereric]

Never had such cold fingers as when I used to ice fish walleye with a buddy of mine. We would drive out on the ice and sit for hours in the dark playing cards and watching for our tip-ups to trip. We were often out in 15-20 below temps. Was fine until you had a fish on - hands in the water, wet slimy fish coming up through the hole. By the time you had the fish on the ice, your hook re-baited and tip-up reset your fingers felt like they were going to fall off. You prayed you didn't have another fish on for awhile, so you could warm up.

first thing I did was light the Coleman lantern for hand heat. That cold I rarely fished unless the wind switched to W-SW for the sunset walleye bite.