Most marine mammals and penguins are equipped with a solid layer of blubber that retains body heat (and provides bouyancy). BTW, Alaskan eskimos (noted by Peary to be ideally suited for his arctic trips) eat blubber (even Crisco mixed with wild berries and sugar... "eskimo ice cream"). Seems reasonable to conclude a lean person would feel the effects of cold water sooner than a fatter one. I recall studies suggesting conditioned swimmers have a higher subcutaneous fat content than other athletes... the distribution of fat being regulated by the body to keep the swimmer warm. It's been a while since I read that, but might be something worth checking if you are interested. Karen > I noted an interesting difference between paddler sizes, I believe corelated > to body fat. Comparably dressed larger "corn fed" males were easier to deal > with in the water. They clambered back into their boats needing little > assistance. The smaller, ahem, "petit" females were typically short of breath > and close to a cold water induced panic. The females in question were arguably > in "better" shape (track runners) vs the pudgy lineman males. Yet the males > were calmer, and able to pull off more difficult rescues: Reenter/roll, etc. > The females did have one advantage, being lighter, I could grab them and help > pull them across my decking. so they could reenter their boats. > > This leads me to question... > This difference directly compares a book I am currently reading: Peary's > documentary about his trips to the North Pole, written 1890-1905. Peary > compares body types of the ideal people for this trip. He notes how Eskimos > are ideally suited for his expeditions, they are very strong and thick with > body fat. > In this day of get slim, and stay strong, I wonder are we neglecting our > bodies need for an appropriate layer of fat? > Without all of our technical gear, could we survive a freezing cold night > sitting on the side of the river waiting for help? > > Just because we regularly practice cold water safety, can we really survive if > we need to? > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Nov 08 1999 - 15:23:27 PST
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