The worst has happened. The vehicle has broken down, the hiking party is lost, or perhaps both. It is tempting to walk out to safety, but is it smart?
There are factors to consider before this decision is made:
In other words, is there a liaison person back in town armed with the party's itinerary and ready to call Search and Rescue when the party is overdue? If so, searchers will be called out within 24 hours after the projected time of return. In this case, one should stay put and wait to be found. Walking usually makes a person more lost. Searchers often follow individuals who walk in circles looking for a way out. If these persons would have stayed in one place, they would have been found much sooner.
If the party has a vehicle, in almost every instance the best thing is to stay with the vehicle. Chances are very good that the party is on a road, no matter how poor, and a road will lead searchers right to the stranded party. Someone might drive up by chance and be able to help.
A vehicle is an asset in a survival situation. We have already discussed items in a car which can be used for survival. If the car has a good survival kit, there is no reason that the party cannot wait in relative comfort to be found. A vehicle is more easily seen from the air than a person. Once searchers begin looking, the first thing they will look for is the vehicle.
If the party is on foot, other things must be considered.
In the summer temperatures are extreme. Most water sources in the desert have dried up. In some deserts it is physically impossible for a person to carry enough water to stay alive while walking in the summer sun. If one is more than a few hour's walk from a known place of safety, walking out should never be considered during the heat of the summer. In the summer it is extremely important that a liaison person be given the party's itinerary, and that the party carry as much water as humanly possible.
In the fall temperatures are mild, but water is difficult to find. The fall is the driest season in most North American deserts. Unless one has adequate water supplies to last for the walk out, this option should not be considered.
In the winter water is usually easy to find. Winter is the rainy season in most North American deserts except the Chihuahuan. Temperatures at night, however, are cold enough to cause another danger, that of hypothermia, or reduced body core temperature. Hypothermia kills more outdoors persons than any other cause. Walking out in the winter should only be considered if the party has enough warm clothing or sleeping bags to stay warm. Hypothermia will be discussed in detail in a later chapter.
In the spring temperatures are mild and there is usually an abundance of available water. One might consider walking out in the spring, but there are still more factors to consider.
Daniel Boone said that he was never lost, but he had been confused for a couple of days. The most experienced backcountry traveler can become momentarily lost. He or she can retrace steps until the route is found, or take out the map to discover where things went wrong. It is easy to get back on route, but this is because this person was not really lost; this person was merely dislocated.
I was once "lost" in the Colorado Rockies in mid-winter. We were completely off the trail (which was under 40 feet of snow anyhow), but we knew that we were north of the highway, and the highway ran east-west. Therefore all we had to do was ski south and we would hit the road, which is exactly what we did. We were not lost--we were just not on the right route.
"Lost" means having no idea where one is. There are no recognizable landmarks in sight. One may know where north is but has no idea where the car might be. There are no roads or trails, or if there are they are part of a complex maze with no pattern. Trying to walk out under these conditions will only result in becoming more lost.
If the party has no idea whatsoever where they are, the best thing is to stay put. If you are on a road or trail, someone will probably stumble by and give you a hand. If you are not on the trail, you may become injured or exhausted trying to hike cross country. Only an experienced and well-equipped hiker should consider hiking off trail, and then one should keep from becoming confused by following natural "handrails": streams, washes, ridges, fences or valleys.
I have only been really lost once, and that for less than a minute before I got my bearings and figured out where I was. During that flash of panic when I realized that I was a good half hour from my campsite, and I didn't know which direction my campsite lay, I could have taking off at a frenzied gallop and run in circles until I dropped in my tracks. Instead I stayed put until I figured out where I was supposed to be. Then I walked back to camp easily.
A strong, experienced hiker could expect to cover 20 miles in one day, if the terrain were fairly smooth. Cross country over rough terrain, a strong hiker will be lucky to cover one mile per hour. Most people tremble at the idea of walking a mile to the supermarket; how can they then expect to hike 20 or 50 miles out of the desert? If one is not in good physical shape, it is foolish to attempt to walk out of a survival situation.
What kind of equipment does the party have? Shorts and a halter top will result in a nasty sunburn and excess loss of body water through excess sweating. Sandals or street shoes will render the feet inoperable within a half mile. Is there enough water to supply the walkers? In the hottest seasons, a person can sweat off one quart of water per hour while walking. Without proper protective clothing, sturdy footwear, and gallons of water, walking out is not a viable alternative.
If all these requirements are met, the party may choose to walk during the coolest part of the day. During early fall and late spring this would be dusk and dawn. During winter, you could walk anytime. Walking at night is impractical unless you are on a good road or trail and you have strong flashlights. Those flashlights will only last for a few hours, remember. Not only might you trip over unfriendly vegetation, desert denizens such as rattlesnakes and scorpions hunt at night.
Leave immediately to avoid further dehydration. If one does not find help where planned, he or she is more lost than originally thought. In this case, it is best to sit down and wait.
In almost every case a party stranded in the desert is better off waiting for searchers. Even if no one is looking for them, there are many methods of signaling for help, and it is possible to attract the attention of passing planes, motorists, or hikers. These methods were discussed in Chapter Four.
Chapter Six Please
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