x39 said:
The staying put part is pretty much a given in most situations. My thoughts had more to do with taking advantage of the sun's heat by reversing sleeping patterns, somewhat like resting during the hottest part of the day in the desert, only for the opposite purpose. I was definitely not trying to start another Les Stroud thread!
Im new to this forum, this is actually my first post
It's really not that sure that it will be any warmer during the day (if the weather stays exactly the same, there might be a 5-7°C difference), and anyway, the daylight only lasts a few hours in the north during winter time. The warming affects of the sun are not that relevant. In a bright weather it's usually a lot colder than in a cloudy weather, so if it's sunny, it might be a good idea to hold still and see if the weather changes (assuming theres enough food). If there's no moonlight, travelling or setting up a camp during the night is also quite dangerous, since it's really pitch black up here (I'm from Finland). If you for example were to drop your knife, it could be nearly impossible to find it (especially because you cant take you gloves off) So, I would definately use the few hours of light collecting firewood and making sure everything is allright before the night falls.
I would personally try to set up a camp, dig the snow out of the way, get some spruce twigs to sleep on (about 0,5m or 1 ft at least) to insulate the coldness of the ground, and collect as much fire wood as possible. I've swimmed in a hole in the ice during winter several times, and I can tell you that when the trembling starts, you can't do anything anymore, not even think straight. So if it would be necessary to travel, one should be extra carefull, and probably start walking early in the morning, and set up a new camp when it's still sunny. Also it would be a good idea to prepare some kindling in the camp before leaving, so you can set up a fire easily when you start building your next camp (since you really cant tell what the conditions might be at that point). Failing once to set up a fire, or building a decent shelter would be fatal.