The Ultimate Desert Handbook A Manual for Desert Hikers, Campers and Travelers [Paperback]

Discover the joys of desert camping, hiking, and travel

Harsh, yet hauntingly beautiful; arid, yet teeming with life; inhospitable, yet profoundly peaceful--the earth's deserts beckon the poet and the backpacker, the artist and the adventurer. If you're heading into the desert, however, you should know what to expect, what to look for, and how to withstand extreme desert conditions.

Richly illustrated with photographs and drawings, The Ultimate Desert Handbook is your complete guide to hiking, exploration, and survival in fascinating but unforgiving desert terrain. It gives you the crucial information you need to make the most of any desert sojourn, including detailed descriptions of North American deserts, their plants and wildlife, and their distinctive geological features. You'll also find the most comprehensive tutorial on desert navigation ever published and expert advice on equipment, safety, and first-aid techniques. You'll learn how to:

• Select the perfect desert campsite
• Manage your water supply
• Share the landscape with desert wildlife
• Maintain vehicles in desert conditions
• Protect yourself with the right clothing and equipment
• Be at home in a vast and elemental terrain

Chapter 1. Introduction

Why the Desert?

Chapter 2. The Desert World

Arabian Desert; Atacama Desert; Australian Deserts; Gobi; Iranian Desert; Kalahari Desert; Kara Kum; Kyzyl Kum; Monte and Patagonian Deserts; Namib Desert; Sahara; Takla Makan Desert; Thar Desert

Chapter 3. North American Deserts

Sonoran Desert; Mojave Desert; Great Basin; Chihuahuan Desert; Plants and Animals of the North American Deserts

Chapter 4. Water Supplies

Carrying Water; Getting Water from Local Sources; Treating Groundwater; Too Much Water? The Problem of Water Intoxication

Chapter 5. Starting Out

U.S. Public Lands; Foreign Destinations