As you might expect, the most critical elements to consider for survival in the desert are water and temperature. If you have plenty of water and can avoid being exposed to extremes of hot and cold, your changes of survival are quite good. What follows are suggestions for things you can do to maximize your chances. Some of them are quite obvious. Others may have no immediate impact on you, but will affect everyone who comes to the area after you have been there. Learn more by going on some of our trips.

WATER

• Check on water sources before starting; contact whatever agency manages the area you plan to visit. Springs and wells sometimes dry up.
• Know your water needs at whatever temperatures you are expecting. And know what temperatures to expect in that country in that season. The southern deserts are prone to sudden heat waves into the 90's and 100's even in spring and fall, which are the most popular seasons.
• During hot periods, keep your mouth closed to keep your mouth and throat from drying out. Suck on a pebble to keep your mouth moist and thereby reduce the sensation of thirst.
• Avoid dehydration. If you are thirsty or your urine is concentrated (dark yellow), you should be drinking more water.
• Drink on a regular basis - don't wait until you are thirsty.
• Water is scarce - Do not over consume, waste or pollute. Washing bodies and dishes leaves oils, food particles and soap that contaminate water sources.

SUN and HEAT

• Wear light colored clothing, long-sleeved, with a wide-brimmed hat, to protect from the direct rays of the sun. Use sunglasses.
• Boots should he heavy enough to protect the feet from the hot ground surface, and also from sharp and heavy rocks.
• Find shade for shelter in the afternoon on hot days.
• When resting, elevate yourself up off the hot ground if you can.
• Use lip balm with sunscreen.

DON'T GET LOST

• Know where you are going. Use a map, preferably topographic.
• Use a compass. It is better than guessing.
• Make sure you can find your vehicle again. Think about parking near an easy-to-find landmark.
• Learn landmarks you can use on return by looking back frequently as you hike. Landmarks should be distinctive and easy to remember.
• It is best to plan your route from known water to known water, before you start.
• In hot weather, plan your route to take advantage of natural shade. Topographic maps can tell you where to expect shade at what time of day, depending on the angle of the sun.
• When crossing a flat, take note of landmarks ahead and behind; use a compass and take readings.

CRITTERS

• Most deserts in summer have nocturnal snakes, scorpions, centipedes and other insects. Don't go barefoot. A tent or bivisac will help to keep them out of your clothes and sleeping bag.
• Watch where you put your hands and feet, to keep them away from where snakes or scorpions might be.
• Do not touch a desert tortoise, except briefly to remove one from a roadway.
• Food and water caches must be lined and covered with heavy rocks to keep burrowing animals out.
• ALWAYS Camp 1/4-mile or more from water, so animals will not be afraid to come in and drink; it is generally a long way to any other water for them, and they may have already come 20 miles expecting a drink. In bighorn country, a mile from water for your camp is even better. Some springs maintained for bighorns are declared "off-limits" for humans, so the sheep will not be afraid to drink because of the human scent.
• Try not to disturb any desert animals. Their living situation is already precarious.

Drawings by Janet Johnson

FIRE

• Don't burn materials found in the desert, they are critical to nutrient recycling in soils already low in organic matter.
• If you want a fire bring your own wood.
• Do your cooking on a stove.

PLANTS

• Beware of cactus spines - watch where you sit and carry tweezers.
• Desert plants are initially resistant to harm, but once damaged have a low resilience and take a long time to recover.
• Avoid damaging desert plants by driving over them, walking on them, etc. They provide home and food for desert animals.

TRAILS

• Avoid walking on vegetation.
• If there is no trail - spread out to avoid compacting a new trail in places where soil is forming. Use game trails where possible.
• AN EXCEPTION: When hiking in cryptogams (exposed mineral soil with a dark crust consisting of mosses, algae, lichens and fungi): WALK SINGLE FILE. Cryptogams build soil by preventing erosion and adding nitrogen, preparing the ground for future plant communities. It can take 100 years to develop cryptogams but just a few footsteps to destroy them.
• Drive your vehicle only on already established approved routes. This is safer if you have a breakdown, and the vehicle's weight can do severe damage to the microhabitats above and below the surface of the ground.

ARTIFACTS

• DO NOT touch pictographs and petroglyphs. The oils from your skin can alter them and your touch can cause portions to flake off.
• Explore ancient dwellings with care and do not climb on the roofs and walls, they are fragile and can easily break.
• DO NOT remove artifacts. It's the law!

SANITATION

• Body waste won't decompose in the predominately inorganic soil. Dig shallow cat holes and bury waste. The high temperatures near the soil surface will destroy pathogens in a short time.
• Deposit bodily wastes far from water or potential drainages. Avoid urinating or burying human waste in wash bottoms. It is better to do so on terraces or hillsides.
• Pack out toilet paper.
• Also take out your other waste items such as peels, pits, packages, etc.

Avoid these common myths:

• "Snakebites should be cut with a razor blade to drain out.the poison." This practice creates more serious problems, like bleeding and infection; it's better to use an instrument called a Sawyer Extractor to SUCK the poison out, then have the person sit calmly until the bite's effects pass over, while you get help.
• "You can get water by chopping off the top of a barrel cactus." The acrid greenish pulp inside the cactus may wet your mouth, but the energy you'll expend to get to it by cutting through the cactus spines and cuticle will probably wear you out. This might be your last drink before you collapse from exhaustion.
• "You can always make a 'solar still' to get water." These can be constructed only in special locations, usually where it is damp but water is not flowing. This, too, is a lot of work, which may exhaust you. Better to plan ahead and carry all you need.