Getting water in cold deserts

I have learnt that water is a scarce commodity in cold deserts. The paradox is that this is the self same place where water is in abundance in form of ice otherwise referred to as th permafrost, or is it? Thats why you will find little plant life in such places making them virtually uninhabitable, at least for those not familiar with such conditions. How shouldn one recover water from ice in such conditions?

 

The only way is to melt it, you can't eat great amounts of ice because it will lower your core temperature. A good idea is to use your own body warmth to melt the ice, you don't put it directly onto your skin but rather in between one of the layers of clothing you are wearing in a flexible water proof recipient. The water will melt and you will have fresh drinking water.

 

At night if you have a fire, you could melt some snow over the fire. When the water has cooled enough, you could fill water bottles or canteens. These warmed water bottles could be placed between your layers of clothes for added warmth through the night or as you start the day.