But she had underestimated the effects of the cold. After a couple of hours, she could no longer feel the toes of her left foot. With only a wool sock, she feared that frostbite would set in, especially given her foot’s poor circulation and immobility. And her hunger had gotten the best of her, and she’d already had to stop more than once because of a muscle cramp in her left calf and another in her left hip that had sent such pain through the nerves of her broken leg that she’d dug her fingers into the muscles of that leg and yelled out in pain. And so she shoveled out a divot in the snow so that, despite the wind, she’d be able to get a fire going. She warmed her hands and feet but became even more worried about her left foot. Despite the heat from the fire, she still had difficulty moving her toes, and the skin was covered in patches of white.
She removed her fleece jacket and, with her knife, cut out both pockets. She then cut away the left sleeve of the jacket. She’d had plenty of blood flow in her left arm from managing the crutch and was still wearing her thermal layer. She covered her toes with the two pockets, then slipped on the sleeve and doubled it over. She could only hope this extra covering would be enough to protect her injured foot from further frostbite. She stayed by the fire another half hour to warm herself and to rest and to eat. Perhaps she should have stayed in the cave. Her body was much weaker than she’d anticipated, and she felt unusually tired. She thought about hypothermia. Her body had no doubt chilled from the sweat on her skin. She’d have to be more careful, stop more frequently, build another fire if necessary.