As I prepare to go to the desert, what do I need to prepare, what should I be careful about, and how much do I need to prepare?

1. Adequate preparation before departure

Adventure is always associated with danger, but careful planning and careful preparation will minimize the risk. This is why explorers The confidence to survive in difficult situations.

1. The choice of adventure season

my country's deserts are mostly distributed in the northwest region, which belongs to the dry climate zone. The temperature difference between day and night is large, the summer is very hot, the temperature is as high as 50 to 60 degrees Celsius, and the winter is severely cold. , the temperature is as low as minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius; there is very little rainfall, with most areas receiving less than 250 millimeters of precipitation throughout the year; there are many and strong winds, especially in the wind outlet areas. When strong winds come, sand and rocks fly away. The deserts from Inner Mongolia to Xinjiang reach 4 There are seasonal strong winds in May, often forming sand flow. In view of these climate characteristics, when choosing the adventure travel season, you should try to avoid the hot summer and windy seasons. Generally, the period from September to March of the following year is more suitable.

2. Develop routes and tactics

When formulating expedition routes and tactics, you must first respect objective facts and develop an adventure plan within your capabilities while ensuring life safety.

Fully self-guided desert adventure

The principle of formulating this type of adventure plan is to fully rely on your own strength or collective cooperation to explore a limited area in the desert. For example, during a winter expedition in the Taklimakan Desert, the average daytime temperature is about minus 10 degrees. Generally, explorers cannot carry all equipment, food, and water to survive in the desert for more than 7 days, and the marching distance is about 100 kilometers. Since this is a fully self-guided and unsupported desert expedition, the explorers have to carry all the equipment and supplies when setting off. The first day is walking under high load conditions, which poses a severe test to the explorers' physical fitness and perseverance. According to the expedition itinerary , you can reserve some food in a planned way at the camping site as a supply for the return trip.

Collaborative desert exploration

Collaborative exploration can be divided into unsupported and supported. The unsupported method means that after entering the desert, all human and material support from the rear is lost, and the expedition team only goes deep into the sand sea with the cooperation of the camel team. Most expedition teams adopt this method. But this kind of adventure is also limited, because a camel cannot carry more than 200 kilograms in the desert. In winter, a camel needs to drink water every 7 to 10 days, and the amount of water it drinks at one time is also about 100 kilograms. Therefore, the average number of days of the expedition is It should be controlled within 10 days and the journey should be within 100 to 200 kilometers. Back-up desert exploration is suitable for long-distance desert crossings. It is a "large-corps coordinated operation" and costs a lot of money. For example, in the early 1990s, the Sino-Japanese and Sino-British joint expeditions used this method to cross the Taklimakan Desert twice. The small-scale crossing team, with the cooperation of the camel team, crossed 100 kilometers east-west along the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert. Several backup teams used hundreds of camels, starting from the national highway at the southern edge of the desert, every 150 kilometers into the desert 100 kilometers deep. Dropping supplies everywhere.

2. Marching in the Sand Sea

1. Correctly determine the direction when walking in the vast desert. Because the field of vision is empty, it is difficult to find reference objects for orientation, plus the undulating sand dunes, tall It is generally impossible for people to walk in a straight line due to the sand hills and depressions. Therefore, correctly judging the direction during desert marching is a prerequisite for desert exploration.

Use instruments to determine direction

Using compasses and maps to determine direction is a commonly used method in early desert exploration. In this method, you must first know your location and determine the target area based on the map. position and azimuth, and then travel according to the azimuth indicated by the compass. Since it is impossible to march in a straight line in the desert, you must constantly correct your position when using this method, otherwise it will be difficult to reach the intended target. In long-distance desert exploration and crossing, it is very difficult to accurately reach the destination or find pre-dropped supplies in the vast sea of ??sand. In the late 1980s, the popularization of personal satellite navigation systems (GPS) among the people has reduced the possibility of getting lost in the desert to a minimum. Currently, almost all desert expedition teams use GPS navigation.

Use natural features to determine the direction

⑴ Use Polaris to determine the direction. Polaris is a brighter star in the northern sky. If you find Polaris at night, you will find true north. Polaris is the star a in the constellation Ursa Minor. Ursa Major (mainly the Big Dipper) and Cassiopeia are located on both sides of Polaris. Our country is located in the northern hemisphere, and the Polar Star can be seen at night all year round.

⑵ Use the sun to determine direction. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It is the most reliable "north pointer". The sun moves from east to west, and the shadow moves from west to east. For example, in the desert in western my country, in the morning, when the sun rises from the east, the shadows of all objects fall to the west. At noon, when the sun is due south, the shadows point north. In the afternoon, when the sun reaches due west, the shadows point due east. Uyghur camel workers who have lived around the Taklimakan Desert for generations rely on this method to walk in the desert without losing their way. Of course, there are some more accurate methods to determine the direction, such as the "instant effect" method and the watch determination method, which are very useful in desert exploration (for this method, please refer to "Outdoor Adventure" Issue 10, 2002, P.65).

⑶Using the direction of sand dunes to determine the direction of wind is an important factor in shaping the shape of the desert ground. In northwest my country, due to the prevailing northwest wind, sand dunes generally form a southeast direction. The northwest side of the dunes is the windward side with a smaller slope. The sand is hard.

The southeast side is leeward, with steep slopes and soft sand. In addition, desert plants such as tamarisk, Haloxylon ammodendron, camel thorn, etc. all tilt toward the southeast. However, it should be noted here that the above are the general characteristics of desert areas. The wind direction also varies from region to region, and the direction of the sand dunes is also different. To make a correct judgment, you must understand the meteorology and landforms of the target area in advance.

2. Learn to walk in the desert

Choose a suitable pair of shoes

If you want to walk comfortably in the desert, you must prepare a suitable pair of shoes , the soles are too soft, making walking in the desert very uncomfortable, and your feet will feel uncomfortable after a long time. Anti-sand boots (snow boots) are indispensable. Once sand enters the shoes, the feet will be worn out in a short time.

Learn to walk with two sticks

Marching in the desert with a heavy load and climbing up and down the soft sand dunes puts a lot of pressure on the knees and can easily cause injuries. Walking with two poles can reduce the pressure on your knees and save a lot of energy.

Don’t be afraid of taking detours

The endless sea of ??sand is not a flat plain. You will encounter many large sand dunes or sand mountains in the desert. Be sure to go around them and avoid going straight up steep slopes. Avoid the soft sand on the leeward side and try to walk on the windward side and sand ridges. Because the windward side is compacted by wind erosion and is relatively hard, walking on it is easier and saves effort; while the leeward side is mainly It is formed by wind accumulation and is relatively loose. Walking on it will sink deeper and consume more energy. If there is a camel team, walking in the camel's hoofprints can save a lot of energy. In a desert adventure, the person leading the way is very important. He must be able to find an easy path and adopt the method of walking slowly and resting for 10 minutes every hour. Generally, teams should not travel more than 20 kilometers in a straight line in a day.

Stay out at night to avoid high temperatures

Under direct sunlight, even if you do not exercise, the water consumed is three times that in the shade. In the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang, during the hottest season, if you don’t bring water and rest in a shaded place, you can survive for about 3 days. If you walk under the sun during the day, you can only survive for 1 to 2 days. In special circumstances, we must also learn the "night walk and sleep at dawn" method. In addition, when you are hot, dehydrated, thirsty, or anxious, do not be fooled by mirages.

3. Desert camping There are differences between camping in the desert and camping in other areas. Usually, we should pay attention to two points: first, the camp should be selected in a place sheltered from the wind, and it should be prevented from being buried by quicksand. Such places are often on flat land among sand dunes; second, the camp must not be set up under tamarisk, poplar, etc. Near plants, because some poisonous bugs often live in places with plants. For example, in the Taklimakan Desert, there is a "Tarimu tick" that usually lives under tamarisk and poplar trees. This "tick" carries a virus , once a person is bitten, it will often cause a fatal disease (Tarimu hemorrhagic fever) and die within ten hours.

In winter, there will be no strong winds, no biting poisonous insects, and the choice of camping locations is relatively random. Winter nights are very cold, and even if you use a double-layer tent, there will be thick frost inside the tent. There are many dead trees in the desert. In the coldest season, you can also build a "fire kang" by yourself, that is, dig a place, burn a fire on it, and then bury it with sand, and people sleep on the heated sand. This method is very suitable for fully self-guided extreme adventures. Explorers can do without a tent to reduce weight.

3. Handling emergencies

1. Looking for water sources In the desert, heat and drought are the biggest killers for explorers. Most of the victims of desert expeditions suffer from stroke due to lack of water. Caused by. Once you lose your way in the desert, you must make sure you have enough clean water to drink before you get out of the predicament, otherwise your hope of survival will be slim. In the desert, there is no water on the surface, and it is difficult to dig out water in most areas. But deserts are mostly basins, and there are many seasonal rivers in them.

If dense reeds are found in the desert, it means that water can be dug out more than one meter underground; if Achnatherum splendens is seen, water can be dug out about two meters underground. ; If we see tamarisk and camel thorns, it means there is groundwater when we dig 6 to 8 meters underground; if we find Populus euphratica forest, it means there is groundwater 8 to 10 meters underground. In the winter of 1990, the Japanese NHK Broadcasting Company expedition team used this method to solve the drinking water problem for nearly a hundred camels when they crossed the Taklimakan Desert from Daheyan Township on the Keriya River. They walked for 28 days. They dug for water once on the way and dug a 15-meter-long and 5-meter-deep ditch. They led the camels down to drink water. Without any backup, they successfully crossed more than 300 kilometers of desert and finally finally Arrive at the Tarim River at the northern edge of the desert.

In addition, if you find moist sand or bitter water in the desert, you can also dig a pit and cover it with a transparent plastic sheet 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 and drip into the container below, allowing us to obtain precious water. More than 1 liter of distilled fresh water can be obtained every day using this method. It is worth mentioning that most groundwater in the desert contains high levels of saline and alkaline, and humans cannot drink it directly (camels can drink it) and must be processed by distillation and other methods.

2. Avoid sandstorms. The movement of sand has its own inherent laws of movement. If you encounter a sandstorm in the desert, you must first choose the direction of escape based on visual observation. As long as you avoid the front of the wind, most dangers can be averted. . At the same time, be sure not to seek shelter on the leeward slopes of sand dunes, otherwise you risk being buried by a sandstorm. The correct approach is to lead the camel to the windward slope and then hide behind the camel.

The temperature difference in the desert is very large. Taking October and November as an example, the surface temperature can reach around 5OC during the day, and can drop below OC at night. In November, if there is a cold wave, the temperature can drop below -1OC. Therefore, winter and summer clothing should be worn during desert exploration. The desert sunlight during the day will burn the skin. You can choose long shirts or trousers, but trousers will greatly consume your physical strength during the difficult march. Therefore, I personally think I would rather have my legs peeling than wear shorts. The most unbearable skin burn will appear on the back of the neck. It will be extremely painful if your collar rubs against your neck. The easiest way is to wear a sun hat and press a white handkerchief behind the hat to block the strong heat. Sunlight.

Sunscreen is not suitable in the desert. The sand in the desert is completely different from the sand on the beach. It is extremely fine dust. The weak wind and light footsteps will stir it up. If you wear sunscreen, this dust will damage your skin. Turn into fine sandpaper.

The most important thing is a pair of desert boots that fit well. They must be high-waisted and soft. If they are new shoes, it is best to wear them in the city for a week or two before entering the desert to "break in" them. Okay, let's go into the desert.

It is best to have two pairs of sunglasses, one for daily use and the other for wind and sand protection, which can be used for motorcycle or ski goggles.

A large kettle, a piece of talcum powder, a flashlight, wide tape, a small round mirror, a plastic bag and other small items will bring you unexpected convenience in the desert. For example, talcum powder can be used to rub body parts that are often rubbed when you exercise; a small round mirror is used to reflect signals when you are trying to survive; a plastic bag is used to prevent dust.

Working with camels

It is dangerous for a person to explore the desert alone, so desert exploration is mostly a team activity, so everyone must carry forward the team spirit, and only in this way, Only then can you experience the fun of desert adventure.

If you participate in the third type of tour mentioned above, then as one of the group members, you must learn how to load and unload camels from the camel workers as soon as possible. On average, each group member has to assemble a three-humped camel, and these camels need to be carried on their backs. It takes about four people to work together to load and unload a camel with the equipment, food, drinking water and the camel's own feed for entering the desert. Therefore, loading and unloading camels every morning and evening is the most concentrated expression of team spirit. With two camels Taking eight expedition members as an example, it will take about 30 camels to strap items onto the camels' backs. After everyone is familiar with the operation, it will take about 50 minutes. This is the busiest and most stressful moment of your day.

Digging wells to find water for cooking

The second epitome of team spirit was digging wells after camping at night. If it is a 10-day desert adventure, it will take about three digs. These "well water" are for camels to drink. In places where plants grow in the desert, such as places where reeds and Populus euphratica grow more, they are generally dug. Water can be produced at about 2.5 meters, which requires everyone to take turns digging wells. This work takes about 2-3 hours.

As for desert cooking, this is actually the happiest moment of your day. Everyone shows off their talents and completes a delicious meal together in return for their hard work throughout the day.

Drinking Memo

Water is an eternal theme in desert exploration. There are many scientific opinions on how to drink water in the desert. One of them is that you can drink it regularly, but Only drink a small sip at a time, which is the best way for the body to absorb; but maybe people's physiological functions are different. During a 60-day desert expedition, the author learned a completely different drinking method from the above, which is about 4 times a day. Drink water seven times, of which 1-2 times of drinking a lot of water are supplements; drink water once when setting out in the morning, and drink until you can't drink anymore. We marched in this way until noon, during which we stopped drinking water. After a simple lunch at noon, we drank water again, but not as much as in the morning. During the march in the afternoon, due to the higher temperature, add a small amount of water once or twice; drink a lot of water once during dinner in the evening.

1. Desert tourism should be carried out in summer and autumn. There are many sandstorms in winter and spring, and it is easy to get lost and endanger life.

2. Do not go alone when participating in desert tourism. Please bring enough drinking water with you and establish a good relationship with the camels. The camels are your most trustworthy friends in the desert.

3. If you encounter a sandstorm in the desert, be sure not to take shelter on the leeward slope of the sand dune, otherwise you risk being suffocated or buried by the sandstorm. The correct approach is to lead the camel to the windward slope and then hide behind the camel.

4. There is a big temperature difference between day and night in the desert. The sunshine during the day will make your skin red and swollen, while the cold at night is like winter. So prepare both summer and winter clothing. In addition, when sunscreen is applied to the body, sand will stick to it, making the skin uncomfortable. It is better to wear light-colored long clothes to resist ultraviolet rays. Sunscreen can be used appropriately on the face.

5. Desert adventure tourism is a collective activity, and collective labor is an important part of tourism. Tour guides, camel workers, and tourists must unite sincerely and take the overall situation into consideration, so that tourism activities can be the icing on the cake.

6. Don’t forget that the desert is also a part of the earth. We must also be environmentally conscious in the desert. Try to take the garbage out of the desert, or at least bury it on the spot. Otherwise, our descendants may open the door to their homes one day. You will see the desert.

7. When riding a camel, you must prevent the camel from throwing people off when it stands up or lies down. At this time, you must hold the saddle or hump tightly. Don't get close to the camel's hind legs or head to prevent it from kicking or spraying people with its mouth. Although camels are docile, they are very dangerous when frightened. It is necessary to prevent sudden noises (such as sudden shouts) and dazzling colors (such as the sudden opening of a colorful automatic umbrella) from irritating camels. Don’t be nervous when riding a camel for a long distance. Instead, ride naturally along the camel’s pace, adjust your sitting posture at any time, and get down and walk for a while when appropriate.

It is enough to prepare 10,000 pieces. There are several deserts:

1. Taklimakan Desert

With an area of ??337,600 square kilometers, it is the largest desert in my country. The Great Desert is also the second largest mobile desert in the world, second only to the Rub' al Khali Desert in the Arabian Peninsula (650,000 square kilometers). It is distributed in the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, with sand dunes up to 200 meters high. Some people say that "Taklimakan" is Uyghur, and its meaning is the sea of ??death. This statement is wrong. The Sea of ??Death was proposed by the Swedish Sven Hedin, not Uyghur. "Taklimakan" is Persian and means "even leafless trees cannot grow". In arid areas, as a result of natural selection, the leaves are small or even non-leafy. "Even small leafless trees cannot grow" refers to the extremely dry climate. The average annual precipitation here is only 25 to 50 millimeters, and in some places it is only 10 millimeters. Plants are very rare and are a restricted area for life.

2. Gurbantunggut Desert

It covers an area of ??48,800 square kilometers and is located in the Jungar Basin of Xinjiang. "Gurban Tungut" is Mongolian, and "Gurban" means three meanings; the meaning of "Tungut" is unknown. Originally dominated by fixed and semi-fixed sand dunes, mobile sand dunes began to appear in 1958.

3. Badain Jaran Desert

The original area is 44,300 square kilometers, located on the Alxa Plateau in western Inner Mongolia. The old name of "Badain Jaran" is "Badan Zalange", which is Mongolian and its meaning is unknown. The Badain Jaran Desert is almost entirely composed of mobile sand dunes, generally 200 to 300 meters high, with the highest reaching nearly 500 meters. It is the tallest mobile sand dune in my country. The Badain Jaran Desert has been recorded for a long time, and is called quicksand in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas". However, in recent years, the Badain Jaran Desert has continued to expand and has exceeded 49,000 square kilometers, which is larger than the Gurbantunggut Desert.

4. Tengger Desert

It covers an area of ??42,700 square kilometers and is located in the southeast of the Alxa Plateau. "Tenggri" is Mongolian, and its meaning is heaven. Local Mongolian herdsmen believe that the Badain Jaran Desert is the mother and the Tengger Desert is the son. The Badain Jaran Desert flew from the sky to the southeast, forming the Tengger Desert. This statement is incorrect. The Tengger Desert is dominated by mobile sand dunes and is the fastest-moving desert in my country.

5. Qaidam Desert

Covering an area of ??34,900 square kilometers, Qaidam Basin in Qinghai is dominated by mobile sand dunes. Their distribution is relatively scattered, mostly alternating with the Gobi desert, and mostly crescent-shaped sand dunes, 5 to 10 meters high, with a few 20 to 50 meters high.

6. Kumtag Desert

The area is 22,800 square kilometers. In eastern Xinjiang, western Gansu, south of Lop Nur, and north of the Altun Mountains. "Komtag" is the Uyghur language, "Qom" means desert, and "Tagh" means mountain. "Kumtag" is the sand mountain. There are many mobile sand dunes, which move rapidly to the southwest and have a tendency to merge with the Taklimakan Desert.

7. Ulan Buhe Desert

It covers an area of ??9,900 square kilometers. It is located in the northeast of Alxa Plateau. In Mongolian, "Ulan Buhe" means red. The bull is used to represent the destructive power of the desert. It is mainly composed of mobile sand dunes, 10 to 30 meters high, and the highest part is 50 to 100 meters high.

8. Kubuqi Desert

It covers an area of ??16,100 square kilometers and is located in the north of Ordos. Close to the Yellow River. They are mainly mobile sand dunes, 10 to 15 meters high, with a few reaching 50 to 100 meters high.

9. Mu Us Sandy Land

It covers an area of ??32,100 square kilometers and is located in southern Ordos. Mainly fixed and semi-fixed sand dunes, mostly crescent-shaped sand dunes, 5 to 10 meters high, and some are 10 to 20 meters high.

10. Hunshandake Sand Land

It covers an area of ??21,400 square kilometers and is located in the southern part of the Xilin Gol Grassland in Inner Mongolia. In the Qing Dynasty, it was called Yihayalu Sandy Land, referring to the big elm tree. It is mainly fixed and semi-fixed sand dunes, and the quicksand in Duolun County in the south moves quickly, so it is also called the Little Tengger Sand Dune.

11. Horqin Sandy Land

It covers an area of ??42,300 square kilometers and is in the Xiliao River Basin. Mainly fixed and semi-fixed sand dunes, 10 to 20 meters high, up to 50 meters high. The flowing sand dunes in Kulun Banner are particularly tall and are called "Taminchagan" by the Mongolian people, which means the place where the devil lives.

12. Hulunbuir Sandy Land

An area of ??7,200 square kilometers, located in the southwest of Hulunbuir. There are many fixed and semi-fixed sand dunes, 5 to 15 meters high, most typical along the Manzhouli-Hailaer Railway.