by Michael Hodgson

Navigating in the desert can be one of the most challenging of undertakings, especially in the deserts of the American Southwest. In the flats, vegetation can obscure what few distant landmarks there are. Where there are dunes, the sand can undulate forever, making sighting and maintaining a course next to impossible. Most challenging of all, however, are the existence of hidden canyons and deep washes (arroyos) which can impede your forward progress along a route you might have thought was easy cruising. It is not uncommon to have to hike 10 to 20 miles out of your way to work your route around a canyon that is impassable.

Before you head out from your car or base camp, heed the following suggestions carefully:

• Seek out bold, easily identifiable landmarks that stand out vividly from the surrounding landscape.
• Most deserts are criss-crossed by an often confusing network of "roads", more vehicle tracks than actual developed routes. When following one of these routes, many of which appear on detailed land maps, many of which don't, take careful stock of every turn, intersection, fork and direction change as it will often be the only way you will be able to determine where you are--signs don't exist in most cases.
  
• Distances are deceptive! That distinct landmark that seems so near may actually be over 20 to 30 miles distant. In the dry desert air, everything will seem much closer than it actually is. The general rule of thumb for estimating distance and time travel is to multiply your most conservative estimate by a factor of three.
  
• Since features and manmade objects change so often in the harsh environment of the desert, only trust the most recent of topographic maps.
  
• Before you head out, make a practice of checking in with the local land management agency to inquire about the best routes of travel and the current land / road / trail and weather conditions.
  

© 1999 Michael Hodgson; All Rights Reserved