September 29, 2026, 03:45:55 PM
Dyatlov Pass Forum

Author Topic: Another take on the mat at the den  (Read 21 times)

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Today at 08:27:55 AM
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GlennM


What if the purpose of the branch mat with its scraps of clothes was not for a few people to sit on? Instead, what if the idea was to burn the mat using the cloth as tinder in order to dry the ground and warm it and then rest and recover over the warm ashes? Perhaps the R4 were found as they were was because they had not yet brought in enough long branches to overlay the ash which would be spread out under.
We don't have to say everything that comes into our head.
 

Today at 10:08:44 AM
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Hunter


Unlikely. To warm the ground in winter, even when the temperature is well below freezing, you need a lot of firewood, and dry firewood at that. The trees that were cut down were damp, so getting them to light is quite a challenge. If it were that easy, hikers wouldn't bother with spruce branches, stoves, and the like. There's a similar method, but it's used in the fall, before the ground freezes. It involves digging a hole the size of the bottom of the tent, about the depth of a small infantry shovel. A fire is built across the entire area, then covered with earth, and the tent is pitched. Someone who used this method said it was possible to live in the tent in their underwear for a couple of days. In winter, in the Urals, you'll need a lot of firewood to warm the ground and retain heat for several hours. It's more cost-effective to build a shelter and a so-called "long" fire. In the US, it's known as a trapper's fire. By the way, here's a video where a person demonstrates that trying to warm the ground in winter is useless.
 
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Today at 11:06:58 AM
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amashilu

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What if the purpose of the branch mat with its scraps of clothes was not for a few people to sit on? Instead, what if the idea was to burn the mat using the cloth as tinder in order to dry the ground and warm it and then rest and recover over the warm ashes? Perhaps the R4 were found as they were was because they had not yet brought in enough long branches to overlay the ash which would be spread out under.

Here's some good advice I read somewhere:  "We don't have to say everything that comes into our head."
 

Today at 03:33:31 PM
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GlennM


We don't have to say everything that comes into our head.