When I rode the motorcycle to Carbondale in January I got the opportunity to experience several stages of hypothermia, not once but numerous times.
Stages 1 and 2, you shiver, thats your body trying to warm you by exercising your muscles (involuntarily).
Stages 2 and 3, when that doesnt work you stop shivering while your body abandons your extremities by withdrawing all your blood into your central body core. Thats the reason people get frostbitten hands and feet because their bodys protecting their core. Fortunately, at stage 2 and especially going into stage 3 you also lose feeling in your extremities, which probably saved my life and at least saved me from frostbite. Because I was no longer able to hold the motorcycle throttle open and I had to pull off the road at which time Id start shivering again and after 10 minutes Id be warm again. I experienced this sequence about every 30 miles for the first 250 miles.
If you go too far into stage 3 your body cant recover on its own and without medical intervention you die.
Overall it was probably the most miserable day of my life. However, when youre young, wild and horny having a motorcycle in college is great! Im happy to say it was worth it.
Steve
