Quote: oseidon">Poseidon: Here are 8 simple tips for surviving in the desert:
1. Keep a lid on it
Its been said that the biggest dangers in desert
survival are exposure (to the sun during the day,
and to the cold during the night) and dehydration,
and neither of these is to be taken lightly. One of the
best defenses against the sun is getting out of it, and
barring that, to always having a big hat or other
covering for your head with you. If the top of your
head is exposed to the direct sun, or even indirect
sun for long periods, your body needs to work hard to
keep itself cool, so the first rule in desert travel is
covering up. If youre caught without a hat, use
another article of clothing to wrap your head in, or if
your skills are up to it, fashion a hat out of
appropriate materials at hand.
2. Get under cover
This goes hand in hand with the first tactic, covering
your head, except this applies to the rest of your
body as well. Finding shade or constructing a shade
shelter is one of the first priorities for desert
survival, as keeping out of the direct sun and not
exerting yourself in the heat of the day will help to
conserve water. The immediate need will be for some
temporary shade, and then when the sun starts to go
down, you can construct a better shelter. Depending
on your location, there may be shade cast from small
shrubs or cactus, or you may need to seek a place
which will shelter you from the sun for even a small
part of the day such as in a ravine or on the north
side of a rock outcropping. The general idea is to stay
out of the dehydrating rays of the sun during the
day, and to travel or forage during the cooler hours of
the morning or evening.
3. Dont drink the water
Actually, do drink the water, if you have it. Just dont
guzzle it all at the first sign of thirst. A better tactic
is to ration it for yourself, taking smaller sips
throughout the day. Assess your dehydration by the
color of your urine if its light-colored, youre
probably OK, but if it its dark, you need to drink
some water. If you do come across water in the
desert, use extreme caution before you start gulping
it down it may not be potable, and if its
contaminated, youll squander what meager water
your body has stored the first time you vomit or have
diarrhea.
4. Stay hungry
The more you eat, the thirstier youll get, so if you
have food with you, take care to only nibble enough
to keep the hunger pains away and your energy up. If
you dont have water with you, youll do much better
to simply not eat for now. Your body can survive
much longer without food than it can without water,
and the last thing you want to do is increase your
thirst.
5. Keep your cool
Panic is one of the most dangerous parts of any
survival situation, so if youre able to calmly assess
your predicament and work out your next steps,
youll be able to head off a wild rush to get out of
wherever you are (and possibly into a much worse
situation). Unless you know exactly where you are,
youre probably much better off staying put until you
can either be rescued, or you have a better idea
which direction to head (and have assembled some
protective sun gear to shade you during travel).
6. Make your mark
If you have decided to make a move toward getting
back to civilization, be sure to mark your original
location and direction of travel, using rocks, sticks,
scratching it into the ground, etc., and if you have
the means, leave a message for anyone who might
stumble across it. Before moving, take a sighting on
a distant object in the direction youre traveling, and
use that landmark to keep you on track. Leave small
rock cairns or arrows on the ground at intervals,
either for yourself to backtrack to, or for anyone who
may come across your tracks and could find you that
way.
7. Keep your mouth shut
When moving about to find shelter or water, keep
your energy expenditures as low as possible, to
conserve both what little moisture is in your body
and what little food you may have eaten. Move
slowly, try not to break a sweat, and keep your
mouth closed to slow the rate of dehydration from
your breathing. Covering your mouth with a
bandanna or a piece of clothing will also help to slow
the water loss.
8. Hunker down
Because daytime temperatures in the desert might
fry you, by the time sunset rolls around, its a huge
relief. But then comes the reality of nighttime in the
desert. In many desert locations, once the heat of
the day dissipates, the temperature starts to drop,
and drop, and drop, until youre now freezing.
Shelter and warmth will go a long way toward
keeping your energy and spirits up in the desert
wilderness, so finding a cozy spot to hunker down
before it gets cold is almost as important as finding
a shady spot during the day.