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Summary: What are some of the dangers to avoid while surviving in the desert? Learn about these dangers and how to avoid them in this free video.
Views: 1,877 | Tags: hiking, camping, outdoors, survival, snakes, trail, desert, recreation, skills, survive, park, cactus
About the Expert
Mike Myers Mike Myers attended Earthskills Primitive Survival Skills courses in Frazier Park, California. Mike also worked as a volunteer park docent and trail patrol f... read more
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Questions & AnswersHi. I'm Mike Meyers of Zion Wilderness Survival School for Expert Village. We're going to talk a little bit about some of the dangers that you will be confronted with when you're in a desert setting. One of the first things that come to mind, obviously, is heat. Heat is not the only danger in the desert. Heat is a significant threat to your life and to your well being. Being exposed to the sun like we are right now it's incredible how hot you can get and how quickly you can get hot. And, if you're exercising, if you're hiking, it really exacerbates the heat situation incredibly. If you're out hiking, if you're lost, whatever, you need to be observant of both yourself and those in your party if you're with someone else, about their behavior and their condition. Some of the things that you'll notice with people that are suffering from the heat is a tendency to stumble. They start kicking rocks and kicking dirt and stumbling. If they speak, their speech is a little bit slurred, or they seem a little bit incoherent, dizziness. If someone stops sweating altogether, that's a very, very bad sign. These are all signs that the heat is beginning to effect someone. The heat problem could be exacerbated by insufficient hydration. It is important to drink constantly especially when in the desert. And, don't be fooled by the fact that you're not sweating a lot especially if you have a breeze. Like right now we have a wonderful breeze out here. And, my sweat is drying. And, I don't feel like I'm sweating, but I am sweating. So, you need to be drinking constantly. I would say no less than a quart to two quarts per hour if you're hiking. The other thing is avoid the hottest part of the day. Get out of the, get out of the sun. Okay. That's one danger, the heat issue. The heat can lead to exhaustion and can lead to stroke. If a person goes so far as to be in a stroke situation which is highly unlikely in a hike, but if you were lost and stranded in the desert, it could happen, you're going to see a person who, who literally stops sweating, who becomes cold and clammy, and is on the verge of dying. Their body temperature is exceeding the level that they can stand. That person needs to be cooled off immediately. If you can find a stream, put the person in a stream. Pour water on them. Get them out of the sun. Get them in the shade. A person's life is in jeopardy. Other problems, we mentioned hydration. If you start feeling thirsty, you've not drank in a long time, you need to be drinking. You need to drink constantly. I always drink an entire bottle of Gatorade, sorry for the commercial there, before I ever start out on the train, the trail. And then, I drink constantly, constantly, constantly. And if you start running out of water, you better head back because you're in deep trouble. Other dangers in the desert, probably causes more injuries than any other injury, are falls. People love to walk up to these edges, these cliffs, these ravines. They like to peer over the edge or they're hiking up them or climbing up them. Falls and breaks and sprains, it may be okay to sprain your ankle at home, but if you sprain your ankle five miles back in a ravine somewhere it can be life threatening if you can't get out.
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