Chapter 188: Desert Survival

The wind and sand in the boundless desert, Topaz and the others were carrying out in this barren place. The pen and the fun and the pavilion www.biquge.info the flat sand and reckless, there is no one for thousands of miles, and the desert is barren and lonely. Entering the desert for the first time, Topaz and the others were quite excited.

But the change in topography along the way shocked Topaz. The wind is like a rough hand, constantly slapping and caressing the face, and the dry air is constantly blowing, and one can almost feel the moisture on the skin escaping. There was endless yellow sand everywhere you looked, no green, no animals, and no water, but fortunately there was plenty of water ready before entering the desert. The vast sea of sand has a magical natural landscape. However, the desolation and beauty of the desert contain a ubiquitous threat, and people are very small in the vast sea of sand, and only by obeying the laws of the desert can they safely get out of the desert. Walking on the vast desert, because of the open field of vision, it is difficult to find a directional reference, coupled with the undulating sand dunes, tall sand mountains and depressions, people generally cannot walk in a straight line, so it is a prerequisite for desert exploration to correctly judge the direction. Fortunately, the guide is experienced, and while walking, the guide tells Topaz and others the basic knowledge of judging the direction in the desert: one is the sun judgment method. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west as the most reliable "compass". The sun moves from east to west, while the shadow moves from west to east. For example, at 8 a.m., the sun rises in the east, and the shadows of all objects are turned westward, and at 14 p.m. the sun is due south and the shadow points north, and at 8 p.m. the sun is due west and the shadow points due east. People who have lived around the desert for generations, they have relied on this method to walk in the desert and never lose their way. Another is to use the direction of the sand dunes to determine the direction. Wind is an important factor in shaping the surface morphology of the desert, in the desert area, due to the prevailing northwest wind, the sand dunes generally form a southeast trend, and the northwest side of the dunes is the windward side, with a smaller slope and harder sand. The southeast side is leeward, with a steep slope and soft sand. In addition, the plants in the desert, such as red willow, saxon, camel thorn, etc., all slope to the southeast. The endless sea of sand is not a flat river. In the desert, you will encounter many large sand dunes or sand mountains, so be sure to go around them and avoid going straight up steep slopes. It is necessary to avoid the soft sand on the leeward side, and try to walk on the windward side and the sand ridge, because the windward side is pressed very solidly and hardly by wind erosion, and it is easier to walk on it, and it saves effort; If we find dense reeds in the desert, it means that we can dig up water more than one meter underground; if we see weeds, we can dig up water about two meters underground; if we see red willow and camel thorns, it means that we will have groundwater when we dig 6 to 8 meters; and if we find poplar forests, it means that there is groundwater 8 to 10 meters underground. In addition, if you find damp sand or bitter water in the desert, you can also dig a pit and cover it with transparent plastic sheeting, so as to make a simple solar still. The air and soil in the pit heat up rapidly, producing steam. When the water vapor reaches saturation, it will condense into water droplets on the inside of the plastic sheet, which will drip into the container below, allowing us to get valuable water. In this way, more than 1 liter of distilled fresh water can be taken per day. It is worth mentioning that most of the groundwater in the desert has a high salinity content, and people cannot directly use it, and people cannot drink it directly (camels can drink), and it must be treated by distillation and other methods. In case of a sandstorm in the desert, you must first choose the direction of escape based on your visual observation, as long as you avoid the front of the wind, most of them can save the day. At the same time, do not take shelter on the leeward slope of the dunes, otherwise you risk being buried by a sandstorm. The correct thing to do is to lead the camel to the windward slope and hide behind the camel.