I had started to hike over the Continental Divide in the later part of January. I do not recommend such a hike as a pleasure trip. Night overtook me where there were no human habitations and I had a strong wind to face. This combination of cold and wind, together with the altitude (over 10,000 feet) made it imperative that I find shelter of some sort. I was following the tracks of the now defunct Colorado Midland Railroad and I tried to camp in a snow shed which covered the tracks, but this shed acted as a wind tunnel and the temperature seemed to be lower there than in the open. Beyond the snow shed, I could see a few scattered trees a short distance from the tracks. I tried to reach them, but the snow was at least six feet deep and was not solid enough to walk on. I managed to flounder to the nearest of these trees, but there was no dry wood for a fire. I trampled a trench in the snow about three feet deep and six feet long, placed a few branches in this trench for a bed, and prepared to spend the night. This trench was considerably better than the open country, but too cold for comfort and I decided to imitate the partridge, who dives into the snow in order to survive during exceptionally cold weather. I burrowed into the snow at my back until I was completely into it and the bank had caved in so that I was covered. I was comfortable enough so that I alternately slept and dozed for several hours until excessive shivering, nature's method of warming the surface of the body, forced me from the bed. A few minutes of exercise started my blood circulating and I was soon comfortable. It was nearly daylight and I resumed my hike instead of returning to the snow for more rest.



I suffered no ill effects from this night in the snow, but I would not advise anyone to camp in this manner except as a last resort. I was in good physical condition and adequately clothed and I had been working out of doors and sleeping in a tent for the past month, so that I was thoroughly accustomed to the weather conditions of the area. Since I was not completely exhausted when I went to sleep, shivering was sufficient to arouse me before any portion of my body could become frost bitten. The average deer hunter would have trouble in surviving such a night. He is usually clothed adequately for daytime temperature, but not for inaction during the colder nights. This is why a fire is almost a must.

After the lost hunter has spent the night in the woods, he should try to orient himself in the morning. This should not be hard to do if the sun is shining. He should not trust to instinct, but should reason things out. Even if the sun seems to be somewhere else, it must be in the east, so there is one sure direction. The other points of the compass should be easy to figure. This information is of no value unless the lost person knows the direction in which he left camp or the direction of the road which runs by the camp. If these things are not known, it is best to remain in the temporary camp and wait for aid, keeping plenty of damp wood on the fire as a signal to searchers. Any shots which are heard, should be answered by a single shot. If these shots are made by searchers, one shot is all that is necessary and more will be a waste of valuable ammunition.

This means that it is always good to be safe in the woods at night when you are lost and you have nowhere to go for any kind of shelter. It is more harsh hunting deer in the winter. And always prepares yourself even when you are in the camp when hunting deer in the winter and save your ammunitions as possible for better use.