Chapter 12Desert
Chapter 12 · Situations and settings · 11 min read

Desert

In the desert the enemy is water: the water you lose by sweating and the water you do not have. An adult can lose liters of sweat per hour in the sun, and thirst arrives late. At the same time, a distant storm can turn a dry creek into a river in minutes. This chapter covers what is specific to the desert: how to manage water and sweat, when and how to move, shade, clothing, flash floods, wildlife, what to do if your car breaks down, and the case of the deserts of the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. To find and purify water, see chapter 3; for heat stroke and dehydration, chapter 7; for shade shelters, chapter 5; for signals, chapter 8.

The essentials · if you only have a minute
  • Ration your sweat, not your water. Water does more good inside you than in the bottle. Drink when you are thirsty and cut down as much as you can on what you sweat.
  • Stay with your car if it breaks down. It is shade, a visible signal, and what rescuers look for.
  • Do not move in full sun. Rest in the shade during the hot hours; move at dawn, at dusk, or at night.
  • Cover up, do not undress: long sleeves, pants, a wide-brimmed hat, cloth on your neck.
  • Never camp or wait in a dry streambed (wash). It can flood even if it is not raining where you are.
  • Carry at least 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water per person per day, plus a reserve of 5 gallons (19 L) in the car.
  • Thirst is not a good guide. If you urinate little and dark, you are already dehydrated.

In this chapter

12.1How the desert kills1 min read12.2Water: do not ration water, ration sweat2 min read12.3When and how to move1 min read12.4Shade1 min read12.5Clothing1 min read0/712.6Flash floods in washes1 min read12.7Mirages and tricks of the eye1 min read12.8Dangerous wildlife1 min read12.9Broken-down car in the desert: stay with the car2 min read0/912.10Common mistakes1 min read
Chapter sources (1)
  1. 1.FM 21-76 / ATP 3-50.21, Survival (cap. 4, Basic Survival Medicine; cap. 13, Desert Survival) — Ejército de EE. UU. 2.Backcountry Preparation and Safety — Big Bend National Park, NPS — https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/bc_safety.htm 3.Be Safe on Big Bend's Backcountry Roads — Big Bend National Park, NPS — https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/bc_road-safety.htm 4.Two Fatalities in Big Bend National Park (comunicado, 24 jun 2023) — NPS — https://www.nps.gov/bibe/learn/news/two-fatalities-in-big- bend-national-park.htm 5.Mountain Lions — Big Bend National Park, NPS — https://www.nps.gov/bibe/learn/nature/mt-lions.htm 6.Backcountry Roads — Death Valley National Park, NPS — https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/backcountryroads.htm 7.Flooding safety — NWS Nashville — https://www.weather.gov/ohx/flooding 8.Increased black bear activity in the Trans-Pecos region — Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (vía TSCRA) — https://tscra.org/increased- black-bear-activity-observed-in-trans-pecos-region/