After my second fortress got to a reasonably stable level (first was overrun by goblins because I wasn't able to sort out getting my militia armed and armored), but started slowing down a bit (old laptop), I decided to challenge myself by embarking on tundra with an aquifer... with a default group...
Ok, so it looks like I have what I need reasonably. I strike the earth, start hollowing out some rooms, everywhere is sand and silt, well I figure I'll get to some rock eventually...
three levels down I hit damp silt. I've read the stories, so I got a sinking sensation right there. Checked a few other places, and yea, damp silt clear across the map. I take stock of my resources... 2 picks, 2 axes (hah), booze, food, cloth, thread... no construction materials... no wait! I have the logs in the wagon! So I deconstruct the wagon, and I have three logs, just enough to build a pump... no wait, need one more for a workshop, crap. (read about it later and one pump wouldn't have done it anyway). So I run off to the wiki, ok if I expose it to open air it'll freeze and I can get down there, awesome. Start digging, get confused and abandon one dig because I screwed up some designations, second try works smoothly. Once I start digging in the aquifer I notice I seem to be getting open space instead of ice walls. I check the wiki again, it's bugged and I can just build wood floors over them and remove, then there will be wall I can dig into, I continue digging, then get the messages:
Urist McMiner Entombed in Ice
Urist McOtherminer Entombed in Ice
*Facepalm* they channeled under their feet, well their sacrifice won't be in vain, the floor is channeled out at least. I build/remove the floor, reverting the open space to ice walls, then assign another dwarf to mining to dig out a stairwell so I can get under the aquifer...
Nobody is doing anything, the dwarf doesn't have a pick... Both my picks are encased in ice... @#*MEGAFACEPALM*#@
Now we'll see if my dwarves can survive until a caravan arrives and sell everything they have (like the crappy axes) for a pick, and continue onward.