Burned a vehicle to stay warm

This is a Yukon story. In desperation, stranded travellers torched their vehicle to survive. When it's -50C, strange things are indeed done ...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-vehicle-fire-rescue-cold-1.5434069


And here are the recommendations of a bush-wise elder on travelling in such conditions:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-road-trip-cold-tips-1.5431375

I like the second article a lot, but there’s no mention of communications. I’d likely have good radios in each vehicle as well.

That's true. Up there, satellite phones are probably the only realistic option. I'm not sure about VHF or HAM coverage.

I liked the second story as well. The old-timers know what they need when a vehicle conks out, so instead of an impending tragedy it's mostly a nuisance.

Bolded part is most important, have dry wood that is easy to light and then get more fresh wood from forrest. Chainsaw is not a must, a handsaw works too and keeps the user warm while sawing.

When I travelled that route this summer, I am pretty sure there was no cell service in between Carmacks and Pelly Crossing; just service when you got close to the two towns. This is along the route from Whitehorse to Dawson City so there would be some traffic but at -50° most would have chosen not to drive on that day.

Yep, cutting wood by hand warms you twice; once when you work to saw it, and again when you burn it.

Maybe, but you need a lot of wood and you need it in a hurry. That kind of volume means taking larger trees. These folks don't mess around; they know better. Plenty of exercise splitting it.

And remember Les Stroud's advice for extreme cold: "You sweat, you die."

Or a Siberian log fire and avoid splitting. Unless short on tinder and kindling to get the thing going.

Perhaps you missed that the old lady had wood in her car to make a fire with. You don´t need a whole lot for a fire to burn an hour or two. So there is plenty of time to get more from the woods. And no splitting is needed when you allready have a proper fire going.

I have always been able to collect enough wood for a cheery blaze bare handed, even in snow. Long ago, I started carrying alternate fuels in wintry conditions. i suspect they would have done better to pile snow up around the vehicle, making an igloo of sorts.

I understand that then theinterior temp would stabilize at close to 32F.

Saws and hatchets, axes, etc. can be useful, indeed the best, for some tasks, but hardly a necessity for survival.

Let's keep in mind we are talking about extreme cold temperatures. I find that when it hits -35C, everything is difficult and there's a sense of urgency that perhaps needs to be experienced to be fully understood.

The amount of spruce you will go through if you're stranded overnight in these temperatures is surprisingly massive.

We can debate endlessly, of course, but I defer to the experience of people operating on the ground. The Yukoners I know view a chain saw the same way most people view a cell phone -- a routine, everyday item.

Minus temps are indeed daunting, but not insurmountable. I have spent -40F in a snow cave with no heat whatsoever, just a good warm bag and ad equate clothing.

My one experience on Danali - minus 20F was a typical day. We had one stormy night when, with wind chill, it reached -80, all in a tent with no heat other than our breakfast stove the next morning. At the 14,00 foot advance base camp, snow caves were very much the desired choice, as well as higher.

The important thing is adequate insulation and shelter from the wind. And yest,if it is your lot to shovel snow off the tent at 2 AM, it will be an unforgettable experience.

Cold is not confined to polar regions. I have personally recorded -32F at around 4,000 feet in N. Arizona (Wupatki Nat'l Monument).
an experienced the same on the nearby San Francisco peaks.

How useful is a chain saw above timberline? Different environments require different solutions.

january of 2011 we had some really below 0 weather in minneapolis.
just to see what it would take to stay warm with a stove kit in the older car i used for general running around I did some testing.
our SUV was much more reliable and I never went anywhere I could not call a tow on my flip phone,no iPhone then.
the end result was that even at 15/20 below I could warm the car up without running the heater and using up gas.one thing I did not do was run the stove until the propane ran out to see how long it lasted.i did keep a sleeping bag and blanket in the car.
if I did any "up north" driving to winter camp I would have a full
set of winter gear along anyway.
I was going to send a photo but I don't see how to do that now.
most photo down loads let you click select on the shot.
nothing to see really just a big coleman burner on a propane bottle on the floor with a thermometer and stuff on the seat.
I would skip the campfire and have a stove of some sort along.

I don't understand the second guessing and armchair quarterback comments in regards to the chainsaw. People up here in Northern Canada live in a very hostile environment and if a chainsaw can make a difference for possible survival then why not? In -40 weather, I would rather be cutting wood with a chainsaw to fuel a survival fire then to be cutting wood by hand.

I’m with you, Teslinhiker, if I lived in Northern Canada I’d definitely have a chainsaw in my car.

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chaosmagnet

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chaosmagnet

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chaosmagnet

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chaosmagnet

Hi,
Which comments exactly are "second guessing and armchair quarterback comments"?

What is the definition of "second guessing and armchair quarterback comments"?

I was one who was not enthusiastic about chain saws and suggested alternative, so I suppose I may be the alleged perp, although, frankly, i am far from an "armchair quarterback" when it comes to cold weather, all confronted without a chainsaw (usually).

I have spent weeks,mostly above timberline, relying on uninsulated tents and adequate clothing to stay comfy. As my brother, living in Bemidji, MN, likes to say, "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing." Choosing a good shelter location, out of both the wind and cold air drainages, is quite important.

Temperatures do not have be all that cold for hypothermia to be an issue. I have never been colder than the time i made four scuba dives, fairly extended, in water 48- 50ish degrees F. Emerging from my last dive, I shivered uncontrollably until I warmed up. i was much colder than my -80F experience on Denali, where I was properly dressed for conditions. Wind is a hugely important factor in hypothermia, causing problems in rather mild conditions. For that matter, an essential clothing item is suitably windproof parka shell, usually over insulating layers. Keeping dry is also very important.

I can understand that in heavily forested areas, a chainsaw might well be a handy item, not only for firewood, but also for clearing a path through the occasional blowdown. When it comes strictly to firewood, I have always been able to gather firewood easily by collecting dead wood bare handed, occasionally breaking larger pieces by stomping - no need for either a hatchet or saw, even in snowy conditions. I have never felt the need to baton anything at all.

The most effective fire I have ever built was in the Arizona desert where our wood was desert ironwood, no pieces larger than 2" in diameter. We cooked a nice dinner, letting the flames die down. In the morning, the cols were still glowing, and our coffee and eggs were ready in jg time. I hated to extinguish that fire.

These days I rarely build fires. Canister and alcohol stoves, along with processed fuels (Esbit et al) work very well. But I still carry various means of igniting a wood fire, because you never know....

We now return you to our regularly programmed heated discussion.