Let me say that you are new to the wonderful world of hiking in the desert. You wanted to be in shape, enjoy nature, perhaps go fishing in a mountain lake, soak up the peace and quiet of the forest. So you decided to go hiking. You bought all the equipment, picked up a map of the trail and set off on your own. The only thing you forgot is a compass.
Now you are mistaken and end up being lost. The path just disappeared, but you continued on, thinking that it would reappear further down the path. This is not true. And now you are not sure which direction you really came from or even which direction you must be heading.
Do not panic. The first thing you want to do is stay where you are. Look at your map and see if you recognize any landmarks in your environment that you can see on the map. This can help you navigate again. If not, and you think that you are really lost, here are some problems that you will need to recognize and overcome while you wait for the search engines to find you:
1. Fear. This may be your first reaction when you realize that you are lost. You know that you may have to spend the night in the darkness of the forest, and you also know that when most predators go in search of food. I hope you bought Bear Spray, whistling or personal alarm with you. They can be invaluable if they are presented with a wild animal. Personal alarm radiates a very loud, shrill sound that can scare any animals and will certainly help the rescuers find you. Always create fire outdoors, which will also help keep predators and show your location.
2. Loneliness. If you feel lonely and bored when you are lost, you are simply not doing enough to find yourself. There is always something to do, for example, to build 3 lights in a triangle to light as a signal to planes or helicopters. You must search and collect water for filtration or treatment, firewood for fire, insulation material for your shelter. When you complete one task, look for another to complete. Even sleeping is a task that will help keep you strong, so you may want to take a nap during the day, especially if the night sounds make you awake.
3. Thirst. The body can go 3 days without water. It is not very long. Therefore, you will need to collect water. If you cannot treat or filter it, the disease from drinking is better than dying than drinking it.
4. Hunger - the human body can actually go 3 weeks without food, so this is the least of your problems. Yes, at first you will feel severe pain in hunger, and over time you will be weaker until you eat, so you should try to complete your tasks at an early stage, while you have strength. It would be useful to do some research before you go on what plants and berries are edible and which are not. Even a few plant roots will help you get rid of total starvation.
5. Exhaustion. As the adrenaline from your initial fear wears out, and you spend a lot of energy creating signal lights, shelters and finding food and water, you will begin to experience fatigue. Let your body rest when you are tired to maintain your strength. Take a cat's dream and try to make your sleeping area as safe, comfortable and warm as possible. This will help you sleep at night.
6. Hot / cold - many lost travelers are in fear of problems with hypothermia or heat. Try not to wet the clothes, but if this happens, do everything possible to dry them with fire. Loss of basic body heat through cold, wet clothing will lower your body temperature and cause hypothermia, which can kill if not treated in a reasonable time.
7. Trauma. This creates problems in itself, because every other necessary task becomes much more difficult, if not impossible, when you are injured. Even cuts should be washed and kept as clean as possible to avoid infection. But you cannot give in to your shortcomings if you can still function. It is better to have a long scar than to lose a life completely. You still have to do your best to survive and get attention.
If you take the time to learn a lot about hiking in the desert, before you go there, you can not get lost. When you go hiking, try to follow your surroundings and sights. And always in your bag or on your belt - a bear spray, a whistle, a personal alarm clock, a compass, an alarm mirror and everything else you can think of to keep you safe and on the go. Enjoy peace of mind, but be safe.
