What is the safest way to hike in the desert alone?

D

Darry

New member
Let me expand on that question...
I'm planning a long distance backpacking trip - by myself (yes I know thats not safe!), on roads. I won't be doing any hiking on trails, but I am planning on going through parts of utah and arizona in the summer. What can I expect? Do I need to be on the watch for rattlesnakes and other types of dangerous animals while planning this trip? I've done many long distance hiking trips in the midwest here but I'm thinking of trying this out in the west...

My date set for this trip is next June of 2010...
 
I live in the Arizona desert west of Phoenix. Our public rescue teams are always plucking people out of the desert for dehydration reasons. The pros estimate one gallon of water for each hour you are hiking. That much water can weigh an awful lot and be tough to carry. You might be able to get by with a quarter of that if you are in good shape.

Others have mentioned rattlesnakes and insects like scorpions. They are real.

I'm thinking you will sleep just off the road at night. Bring large zip lock bags that you can put your shoes in at night. Scorpions love snuggling down inside shoes.

Bring a hand gun. Coyotes and other large animals may want to have a piece of you. Not to mention some wacko person driving by.

Bring a camera because you are going to see some incredibly beautiful places. Best wishes to you.
 
You might want to read the books by Peter Jenkins. He and his wife hiked across the entire USA. It took them six years. The first is called A Walk Across America and the sequel is called The Walk West. Very good reading. The books are probably out of print now, but you can buy copies at Amazon. Also get your hands on a good survival book. I got a great one from The Militia of Montana website called The Extreme Survival Almanac. Lots of good advice about surviving and especially first aid.

By the way, Jenkins was about 20 years old when he started his trip and he trained very hard for the walk. He said he was glad he did, as he fought a lot of weather hardships. Good luck on this. I am a hiker and would love to do something similar.
 
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