Experience shows the best policy is to stay near an aircraft or disabled vehicle. If the spot is hazardous, establish a safe shelter as close by as possible. A decision to walk out should be based on nearness to civilization and probability of rescue.
Decide early what to do – while you can still think clearly. Cold dulls the mind…
Movement in a blizzard is out of the question and, at all times, navigation is difficult on featureless ice and tundra. Ice movement pushes up ridges which make the going treacherous. Summer melted water makes the tundra boggy and even sea ice slushy underfoot.
Mosquito, black-fly, deerfly and midges can all be a nuisance in the Arctic summer. Their larvae live in water so avoid making shelter nearby. Keep sleeves down, collar up, wear a net of some type over the head and burn green wood and leaves on the fire – smoke keeps them at bay. When it turns colder, these nuisances are less active and they disappear at night.
Navigation
Compasses are unreliable near the poles, the constellations are better direction-finders and the nights are light enough to travel by. By day use the shadow tip method (see Reading the Signs).
Traveling on sea ice do NOT use icebergs or distant landmarks to fix direction. Floes are constantly moving – relative positions may change. Watch for ice breaking up and, if forced to cross from floe to floe, leap from and to a spot at least 2ft (60cm) from the edge. Survivors have been rescued from floes drifting south but sooner or later ice floating in to the warmer oceans will melt – though that chance may be worth taking.
AVOID icebergs as they have most of their mass below the water. As this melts, they can turn over without warning, particularly with your added weight.
AVOID sailing close to ice drifts. Glaciers may ‘calve’ huge masses of ice, often thousands of tons, which break off into the sea without warning.
Bird observations can aid navigation. Migrating wild fowl fly towards land in the thaw. Most seabirds fly out to sea during the day and return to land at night.
Sky reflections help to determine distant terrain. Clouds over open water, timber, or snow free ground appear black below. However, when over sea ice & snowfields they appear white. New ice produces grayish reflections while mottled reflections indicate pack ice or drifted snow.
Snow Shoes
All polar travel is strenuous and should only be attempted by a fit person. On snow with a hard crust, skis are the best means of travel, though difficult to improvise. Skiing in deep, loose snow takes great effort and, in soft snow, snow shoes are better. To walk in show shoes lift each foot without angling it, unlike a normal stride, keeping the shoe as flat to the ground as possible.
Improvised Snow Shoes: Bend a long green sapling back on itself to form a loop and secure the ends firmly. Add crosspieces and twine – the more the better – but do not make the shoes too heavy. You will not be able to walk far without getting very tired. Allow a firmer central selection to attach to your foot.
Follow Rivers
Travel downstream – by raft in summer, on the ice in winter – except in Northern Siberia, where rivers flow north.
On frozen rivers keep to smoother ice at the edges and to the outer curve on the bends. Where two rivers join, follow the outside edge or take to the outer bank. If the river has many bends, leave the ice and travel by higher ridges.
Clothing
Severe cold and harsh winds can freeze unprotected flesh in minutes. Protect the whole body, hands and feet. Wear a hood – it should have a drawstring so that it can partly cover the face. Fur trimming will prevent moisture in the breath freezing on the face and injuring the skin.
Outer garments should be windproof, with a close enough weave to prevent snow compacting, but porous enough to allow water vapor to escape – NOT waterproof, which could create condensation inside. Underlayers should trap air to provide heat insulation. Skins make ideal outer clothing.
Openings allow heat to escape, movement can drive air through them. If clothing has no draw strings, tie something around sleeves above cuffs, tuck trousers into socks or boots.
If you begin to sweat, loosen some closures (collar, cuffs). If you are still too warm remove a layer. Do so when doing jobs like copping wood or shelter-building.
Only a plane crash or forced landing is likely to leave someone in polar regions unequipped. Try to improvise suitable clothing before leaving the plane.
Wear wool – it does not absorb water and is warm even when damp. Spaces between the knit trap body heat. It is best for inner garments.
Cotton acts like a wick, absorbing moisture. When wet, it can lose heat 240 times faster than when dry.
Remember: Always protect your whole body by keeping completely covered. Severe cold and harsh winds can freeze unprotected flesh in a matter of minutes.
Feet
Mukluks, boots of waterproof canvas with a rubber sole which comes up to the caulk and with a drawstring to adjust fitting, are ideal. Ideally they should have an insulated liner.
Insulate feet with Three (3) pairs of socks, graded in size to fit over each other and not wrinkle. If necessary, improvise foot coverings with several layers of fabric. Canvas seat covers can make improvised boots.
Trenchfoot can develop when the feet are immersed in water for long periods of time, as in the boggy tundra during the summer months (see Cold Climate Hazards)
Snow Glare
Protect the eyes with goggles or a strip of cloth or bark with narrow slits cut for eyes. The intensity of the sun’s rays, reflected by snow can cause snow blindness. Additionally, blackening beneath the eyes with charcoal to reduce glare further.