Basic Skills for Crisis Situations in the Desert

If you are lost in the desert:First, before you read this, if you are in the sun or in a car which is not air conditioned find some shade, a rock, anywhere outside the car - anything to keep the heat from building up. Also do not sit on the hot ground. Elevate yourself somehow above it.If able to establish communications:Give where you started from and where you were going, how you are traveling, where you think you are, how long you have been gone. Also, who is with you. How much water do you have. Condition of transport. Who expects you. How to contact. Your contact data where you think you are now.Until someone comes, there are four chapters of one of the above survival guides online which you should read -The Car as Survival Kit, How to Signal Searchers, Making the Decision to Stay or Walk out, Conservation of Water by Survival expert Marjorie Woodruff THe ABCs of Desert Survival If you cannot contact it, the following may help.Stay calm and for the time being do not move and do not let anyone else with you take off in some direction even if they think they know where they are going.Summarizing from the two sources above: Basically, unless you have to, do not move from where you are. Your best chances of being found are using the right signaling, keeping as cool as possible, drinking water. Food is not important because you can last many days without it.However, drink when thirsty. Saving it does not help According to one source, "...water should be consumed and not hoarded. A person without water can survive for two days at a temperature of 120 degrees." [Woodruff] This is without moving. That doesn't mean that you should wait 2+ days to drink. Drink to satisfy your thirst and do not ration it. Then your body will be in better shape to continue when you run out. On the other hand, walking in the sun without water limits your survival to hours. Therefore, limit your activity during the day and if you must walk, walk at night.The one thing your body does need,...