The Cairngorm Plateau Disaster (Patreon)
Content
In this video I mention just how badly extremes of cold can affect the human body. It's something which I think isn't always understood. Cold can be devastating, and it can cause people to deteriorate way faster than you might think.
This article, for example, talks about how hikers caught in extreme cold can be reduced to a state similar to sleepwalking. They keep moving, but they can no longer make intelligent decisions, and keep on shuffling along until collapse.
At other times, a phenomenon known as "paradoxical undressing" can take place. This is where people who are suffering from acute hypothermia become so confused that they begin to undress and throw away their cold weather gear. It's often one of the last things they do before death, and it really demonstates just how disorientating cold can be.