Thompson arrived with a big load of meat about noon, and Billy went back with him. I built another small house over the entrance of the other one. It was warm during the afternoon, and the snow had melted thoroughly, wetting my woolen mittens. As evening approached it became colder and my mittens froze on my hands. I had to light the primus with them on and thaw them out before they could be removed. By this time my wrists and fingers were badly frost-bitten and they are swollen considerably in consequence.
George Hubert Wilkins
Photographer
Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College
Wilkins’ experience in freezing his mitts reminds us of how careful you have to be to avoid frostbite while working in cold temperatures. It is so important to avoid getting too warm, and thus getting wet, especially in the fall when you often have a sudden drop in temperature.
It is easy to get so involved with your work that you forget to take care of yourself. If you do not use the buddy system to check each other from time to time, you may well end up with significant freezing on your face, neck, ears, or fingers.
The sudden freezing in fall can also impact wildlife populations. One year on Bathurst Island, a fall of wet snow, followed by a sharp drop in temperature, caused a critical die-off in the caribou and muskox populations. The frozen wet snow prevented the animals form pawing through to the vegetation below the snow layer.
David
Very interesting! Thank you very much! Sir Hubert Wilkins was one of The Explorers Club’s most famous explorers.