Sumter outdoors columnist Dan Geddings: Cold

Posted

It was cold. The thermometer in my truck was registering 28 degrees. I was on the way to the club, and the eastern sky was showing the promise of a new day. I had deliberately waited for the morning sky to bring some light before walking to my stand.

I parked just into the piney woods, shut the truck door carefully and headed down the woodland road. Along the way, I stopped to check the wind. The forecast had been for a westerly breeze, but the puff of white powder showed me an easterly wind. That wouldn't work very well for my stand.

Off to one side, at a slight bend in the road, stood a medium-sized sweetgum tree that was surrounded by a patch of scraggly myrtle bushes. That would offer a good line of sight down the hill to my corn pile. I slipped off my pack and eased into the bushes and sat down at the base of the tree. It was a comfortable spot, and I was well hidden. The wind was blowing my scent down the road behind me.

The cold air stung my face and hands, and I knew it would be a challenge to sit there very long. My wool pullover hat, long green scarf and warm gloves were packed away somewhere back home. My insulated coveralls helped some, but it wasn't enough. My teeth were chattering already.

The right clothing and accessories can make all the difference sometimes. We don't usually get the brutal cold here that some places do, so I guess we're lucky. Years ago, when I was in the Army, I was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. It gets very cold there, on the front range of the Rocky Mountains. For cold weather, we were issued wool pants and wool shirts to wear over our regular fatigues, then a field jacket with an insulated liner. We had wool hats with flaps that went around the neck and over the chin. We had insulated rubber over boots that buckled over our leather boots. Then field pants with an insulated liner and a parka with a fur-lined hood. Over our leather gloves with wool liners, we wore thick mittens. Oh yes, we had a wool scarf, too. All those things could not keep you warm in the most brutal cold, but at least you wouldn't freeze to death.

My next assignment was a year on the DMZ between North Korea and South Korea. It was a "no-man's land" and a hostile environment. It was much colder there and more snow. We were issued the same gear for cold weather. We did our regular morning physical training in combat boots, fatigue pants and a T-shirt. No matter how cold or how much snow was on the ground. On one occasion, I was selected to be a grader at a mortar-firing exercise. I was flown by helicopter to the north side of a good-sized mountain that overlooked an impact area. Teams of forward observers were flown out at intervals during the day to be tested. I could see the sun shining on the top of the mountain behind me, but my position was in the shadow of the mountain all day. The snow was knee deep, and the wind was howling out of the Arctic. Oh, how I longed to feel that sunshine! It was the coldest day that I have ever experienced in my life. It is the one day that stands out beyond all others.

We don't get that kind of cold here, but I've had some cold days duck hunting. I've seen Sparkleberry Swamp frozen over and had ice forming on my waders when I've stepped out of the water. I've had my automatic shotgun turn into a single shot when the gun's oil and grease turned to sludge from the cold. That's why I shoot a pump gun now.

That recent Thanksgiving morning deer hunt didn't last very long. I just couldn't take the cold. When I got up to leave, I spooked a deer that had just walked in to my corn pile. The right outfit would have let me sit longer. And yes, I'm somewhat spoiled now, but I do know what real cold is.

Reach Dan Geddings at cdgeddings@gmail.com.