TrishandAlex
New member
Last weekend, I got a lesson in why it's necessary to keep every inch -- EVERY inch -- of skin covered when ambling above treeline in frostbite conditions.
Sage and I ascended Cannon on Sunday. There was a windchill advisory, and I was my usual diligent self when it came to my kid. Sage was covered from head to foot, no skin was exposed, she was warm and toasty, and she did well on her first hike in serious winter weather.
Unfortunately, I was so focused on her that I forgot to take care of myself. My backpack has an unfortunate habit of pushing my pants down a bit...I'm constantly hitching them up on hikes. I'm usually pretty good about making sure they're where they should be, but on Sunday I let them sag enough to expose a handful of skin over my right hip. Sage and I were above treeline on the Kinsman Ridge Trail for no more than ten minutes. That was enough.
I now have second degree frostbite. That's not a big deal unless it shows signs of infection. It's more of an annoyance than a real problem. However, had I stayed out there longer, it could have been much worse, and I wouldn't have felt anything at the time to warn me of the situation.
I write to emphasize that at the time, I felt cold in that area, then I felt nothing. I didn't realize anything was amiss until hours later, when we were at home and I de-layered. There was no pain that first day. I'd no idea what was happening at the time. It hurts NOW, but I didn't feel any pain then.
So the moral is -- cover up! One can get frostbite and not realize it until hours later.
Sage and I ascended Cannon on Sunday. There was a windchill advisory, and I was my usual diligent self when it came to my kid. Sage was covered from head to foot, no skin was exposed, she was warm and toasty, and she did well on her first hike in serious winter weather.
Unfortunately, I was so focused on her that I forgot to take care of myself. My backpack has an unfortunate habit of pushing my pants down a bit...I'm constantly hitching them up on hikes. I'm usually pretty good about making sure they're where they should be, but on Sunday I let them sag enough to expose a handful of skin over my right hip. Sage and I were above treeline on the Kinsman Ridge Trail for no more than ten minutes. That was enough.
I now have second degree frostbite. That's not a big deal unless it shows signs of infection. It's more of an annoyance than a real problem. However, had I stayed out there longer, it could have been much worse, and I wouldn't have felt anything at the time to warn me of the situation.
I write to emphasize that at the time, I felt cold in that area, then I felt nothing. I didn't realize anything was amiss until hours later, when we were at home and I de-layered. There was no pain that first day. I'd no idea what was happening at the time. It hurts NOW, but I didn't feel any pain then.
So the moral is -- cover up! One can get frostbite and not realize it until hours later.
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