Dang
I just spent 10 minutes on a swell reply with a niffty next tip story, then lost it some how?
?
So I'll redo the story with the next survival tip another time.
But to answer the current post.
After the fall through and the so important (Calm Yourself Down!)
The first thing you need to do>>>> ( Turn Yourself Around and Face Back The Way You Came!)
It sound simple, yet many people drown while panicking try to scratch, claw and climb out only to keep breaking bad ice.
It is only reasonable to think that the ice you crossed to get to where you fell in held you weight.
While the ice where you fell in is bad and therefore any ice in front or the side of that spot is then suspect.
Turn your self back around,
If your like Lee and have picks now is the time to put them to use. Be deliberate but don't get in a big hurry and thrash around or waste time trying to remove heavy clothing. Thrashing around in cold water only cools you quicker making the potential for hypothermia set in faster. The old myth about removing heavy clothing to swim just waste time and energy. Use your picks or place you hand palm down arms flat on the ice, pull your self up as far as your waist onto the ice. Pause there for a few seconds to let some of the water drain from your clothes, reducing your weight. Scoot forward and pull your legs the rest of the way up onto the ice shelf. Next don't get in a hurry to stand up but instead roll like a log, again in the direction of your back trail. When you get to where the ice feel solid get to your hands and knees and crawl on all four. Only when your back to shore or positive the ice will hold you should you stand. Rolling and crawling spreads your weight and lessens the chance of falling back through the ice, or injury to insult, just plain slipping, falling and getting hurt.
Then of course once your off the ice get somewhere to dry out and get warm.
Hope this info is useful for someone who never has to use it.
Mac
