Backpacker Magazine – October 2011

Survival: Carbon-Dioxide Poisoning

Ventilate your tent to avoid this danger.

by: Shannon Davis

Tags:
• Survival
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• Threats
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• First Aid
|

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On Colorado’s Mt. Bancroft, I woke up in the middle of a long winter night, heavy-headed and gasping. My heart was beating like a guy who just ran a marathon at 15,000 feet. A snowstorm had buried the perimeter of our small, two-person single-wall tent and covered the vents, cutting off airflow. But I didn’t realize what was happening—or make a move to fix it—until much later, when my buddy went out to pee and a wave of fresh, oxygenated air rolled in the open door reviving us. We laugh about it now—the most lethal part of our climb happening in our sleep—but I could have died of carbon-dioxide poisoning. Ventilate the tent (open a gap in the door, if needed), shake off fresh snow, and don’t always whiz in a pee bottle—poking your head outside once in a while could save your life.



Sea Kayak Flip
Casey Lyons, BACKPACKER associate editor

No Water in the Desert
Annette McGivney, BACKPACKER Southwest editor

Dress for Lightning
Matt Walker, mountaineer,

Sea Kayak Flip
Casey Lyons, BACKPACKER associate editor

Predict a Flash Flood
Ken Phillips, Chief of Emergency Services, Grand Canyon National Park

BYO Survival Gear
Chris Thomas, mountaineer




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