PSA for late season hunters.

[robtattoo]

This is mostly aimed at guys like me: easterners who venture West.

If you're going to be out there when the temperatures drop into the negatives & the humidity is in the single digits at best; don't forget to breathe 'backwards' IN through the mouth, OUT through the nose.

I was in Wyoming in October/November, the temps hit -19 & I forgot. It took less than 6 deep, out of breath breaths before I got frostbite inside my nostrils.

Now, I've had some stuff up my beak before () but frostbite is the single least amount of fun. 5 weeks later & my right nose-hole is so scabbed, it feels like it's full of broken glass. All the inner membrane of my right nostril froze, died & had to be removed (tiny flashlight & tweezers vs $1500+ at the Docs....) & now I'm left with raw meat up there that's one massive scab that cracks every time I move my face.

Not fun. Be warned.

In through the mouth, out through the nose.

 

[Rich M]

We used to have negative values in VT, coldest i been is -25.

Never heard of freezing yer nose. Something to think about for sure.

Hope it heals quickly.

 

[robtattoo]

We used to have negative values in VT, coldest i been is -25.

Never heard of freezing yer nose. Something to think about for sure.

Hope it heals quickly.

I've been in temperatures around & below there before with no problems, but I think the combination of temperature, zero humidity & pretty intense physical exertion (for me) did it.

Thanks!

 

[5MilesBack]

Kind of the opposite for me. If I were to breathe only through my mouth in those temps, my lungs would be toast. It doesn't even take temps that cold, I'd be hacking and coughing nonstop. But I do have some asthma.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I grew up in southern Wisconsin where we would see many days of sub zero temps. We were taught to always wear a face mask that would cover our mouth and nose.

 

[Macintosh]

It's interesting, the medical advice is usually to breathe in through your nose, NOT your mouth in cold wx, but I'm not sure they have "so cold even a polar bear's nose-hairs freeze" in mind. Of course they tell you not to go out in that wx in the first place (eyeroll). Example: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.... in through your nose,the air than your mouth.
Back when it was cold around here it seemed like we had a week or two every year where it was 30 below. Those days seem to be gone, I haven't seen lower than -20 for a long time and it is usually short lived. Usually it's temp combined with wind that gets you, not the temp alone. Add a little evaporative cooling from sweat or a runny nose and frostbite happens fast for sure. I have always been told to breathe in through the nose to better warm the air, but I've also found it more comfortable sometimes to brethe in thru your mouth. Who knows. I have become quite attached to those lightweight wool buff's--I find them much less obtrusive than a true "facemask", but they do a great job of adding just enough insulation to keep my face from freezing when its cold, and they are great for covering my ears when hoofing it uphill in cold wx where I need to shed hat but its still cold, etc.

Sure hope youre back to smelling the roses soon.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

It's interesting, the medical advice is usually to breathe in through your nose, NOT your mouth in cold wx, but I'm not sure they have "so cold even a polar bear's nose-hairs freeze" in mind. Of course they tell you not to go out in that wx in the first place (eyeroll). Example: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/is-the-extreme-cold-bad-for-your-lungs#:~:text=Breathe in through your nose,the air than your mouth.
Back when it was cold around here it seemed like we had a week or two every year where it was 30 below. Those days seem to be gone, I haven't seen lower than -20 for a long time and it is usually short lived. Usually it's temp combined with wind that gets you, not the temp alone. Add a little evaporative cooling from sweat or a runny nose and frostbite happens fast for sure. I have always been told to breathe in through the nose to better warm the air, but I've also found it more comfortable sometimes to brethe in thru your mouth. Who knows. I have become quite attached to those lightweight wool buff's--I find them much less obtrusive than a true "facemask", but they do a great job of adding just enough insulation to keep my face from freezing when its cold, and they are great for covering my ears when hoofing it uphill in cold wx where I need to shed hat but its still cold, etc.

Sure hope youre back to smelling the roses soon.

From what I have been told, you get more moisture to your lungs when breathing through your nose as opposed to your mouth.

 

[robtattoo]

It's interesting, the medical advice is usually to breathe in through your nose, NOT your mouth in cold wx, but I'm not sure they have "so cold even a polar bear's nose-hairs freeze" in mind. Of course they tell you not to go out in that wx in the first place (eyeroll). Example: https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/is-the-extreme-cold-bad-for-your-lungs#:~:text=Breathe in through your nose,the air than your mouth.
Back when it was cold around here it seemed like we had a week or two every year where it was 30 below. Those days seem to be gone, I haven't seen lower than -20 for a long time and it is usually short lived. Usually it's temp combined with wind that gets you, not the temp alone. Add a little evaporative cooling from sweat or a runny nose and frostbite happens fast for sure. I have always been told to breathe in through the nose to better warm the air, but I've also found it more comfortable sometimes to brethe in thru your mouth. Who knows. I have become quite attached to those lightweight wool buff's--I find them much less obtrusive than a true "facemask", but they do a great job of adding just enough insulation to keep my face from freezing when its cold, and they are great for covering my ears when hoofing it uphill in cold wx where I need to shed hat but its still cold, etc.

Sure hope youre back to smelling the roses soon.

A cousin of mine back in England is an Everest expedition guide & he told me that breathing in through your mouth lets the air warm up before passing out through your sinuses. Breathing in through the nose doesn't pre-warm the air & can freeze them, leading to intense 'ice cream headache' at best; permanent sinus damage & intranasal frostbite at worst. Well, i guess there's death at the really 'worst' end of the spectrum....

Best advice though is to keep some kind of face covering in place.

I also use a thin Buff type tube deal, but I took it off because I was sweating a bit. It took about 30 seconds to freeze my hooter.

 

[jmez]

Not sure I follow your cousins logic? Why would air breathed in through the nose not be warmed but through the mouth would be? That doesn't make sense. Routine airflow doesn't go through your sinuses.

We are in extreme temps with low humidity all winter in the Dakotas. Have never heard anyone say in through the mouth out through the nose. It is a function of the nasal cavity to warm air.

Sent from my moto g power 5G - 2023 using Tapatalk

 

[dieselchessy]

Never heard of such. Been in negative temps a fair bit, some as low as -40.
Other than breathing slow and shallow cause that’s what your body tells you to do, we just acted normal and bundled up to minimize exposed skin.
Folks coach you to remember to drink water, but not about breathing.

Seems like some underlying issue or some other unusual factor would have been involved.
-19 is about where diesel jells up causing annoyance, batteries get weak, hands get cold easily, and your breath freezes on your mustache. It’s an annoying kind of cold. Not an oh no we need to breathe special kind of cold.