by Chris Ryan
– Don’t waste energy – and fluids – by moving about. Try to rest whenever you can.
– Save your breath – talk as little as possible, and breathe through your nose, not your mouth.
– Eat only if essential; food requires water to be digested.
If a shortage of water is likely to be a problem, you can collect as much as a litre over a 24-hour-period if you make a solar still to collect evaporated water at night. Dig a hole about half a metre deep and about a metre across, then lay a sheet of plastic loosely across it, dipping in the centre to make the water run to a point. Then simply place a container under this point to collect the water.
3. SHELTER
Shade – and shelter – is really important to protect you from the sun. Just like the creatures that live in the desert, you need to learn to make the most of any available shade – shadows from the walls of wadis, or rock outcrops, for instance. You could also use the night-time to collect rocks and build a small shelter as a windbreak, draping clothing over it during the day to provide some protection from the sun.
If you’re in a broken-down vehicle, and you have told people where you are going and for how long, you should stay with the vehicle, making it easier for rescuers to find you, and providing shelter for you during the day. Don’t stay inside it, though – metal containers get really hot in desert sun; it’s better to use its shade or rig up a shelter alongside it.
4. CLOTHING
Learn from the locals – the people who live in and travel through the desert. Wear flowing shirts and baggy trousers to increase air circulation and help prevent excessive sweating. Keep it loose.
Headgear is also important to protect your head and neck from the sun’s rays. Again, copy the desert peoples and fashion protection from any piece of cloth, draped over your head so that it hangs loosely down over your neck. You can wrap it round your face for warmth at night, or pull it across your face if caught in a sandstorm.
You should also protect your eyes from the glare of the sun. Your equipment should include sunglasses or goggles made specially for desert conditions. If you don’t have these, protect your eyes from any sand blown around in the wind by covering them with cloth, cutting small eyeholes to enable you to see.
It’s also amazing how painful it can be to walk with sand in your boots, so wrap cloth round your boots to try and keep out the sand. And a final tip: if you do take your boots off, make sure you shake them well before you put them back on again – you could find a scorpion or small snake has decided your boot will make a nice new home! I once found a snake in my sleeping bag; it was a cold night and the snake had crawled in there to keep warm. They curl up and go quite docile. I got out of my sleeping bag and shook it out!
5. FIRE
In such hot conditions, fire might be the last thing on your mind, but the temperature can drop very rapidly overnight during winter months and a fire will provide much-needed warmth. Most desert scrub is very dry and will burn easily and, if you are following trails used by others, you might well find camel droppings too, which make great fuel.
You can use the fire to boil water for hot drinks, food (crumble a stock cube into hot water for an instant pick-me-up) or for treating any injuries. Its smoke will also be useful if there are rescuers out looking for you.
If you find yourself without matches, use the power of the sun’s rays focused through a piece of broken glass or a magnifying glass, camera lens or similar to form a pinpoint of light on your unlit fire. If you keep it steady, the fire should catch alight (you might need to blow on it gently once you get a glow).
6. FOOD
It’s time for a diet, I’m afraid, if you’re stuck in a desert. Food may be one of the four survival essentials, but you can actually live for about three weeks without food, and as food requires water for digestion, it’s best to eat as little as possible. Fortunately, you probably won’t feel very hungry! If in a group, ration out supplies to the barest minimum, eating anything perishable first as it will spoil very quickly in these conditions. Avoid eating foods that are fatty, however, as fats take a lot of fluid to digest.
When I was escaping through the desert in the Gulf War, I had no food and that wasn’t really a problem, because I didn’t miss it. Your stomach shrinks so you don’t feel any hunger.
7. NAVIGATION
In the middle of a desert, every dune can look the same and it is possible to convince yourself you are walking in a straight line and then find you have walked a circle. What a waste of energy! Some basic navigation skills can really help save your life if you have to be on the move.
Firstly, check out the position of the sun. In the northern hemisphere, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, it will be due south. In the southern hemisphere, at midday, it will be due north. A stick about a metre long will help you find north too, at any time of the day the sun is in the sky. Find a patch of clear ground and stand the stick upright in the ground. Mark where the end of its shadow falls – use a pebble – then wait at least fifteen minutes and mark the new position. If you join these two points, this will be an east-west line and northsouth will be at right angles to this. Remember, the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west, so you should now know which direction is which. You can do this at regular intervals if you are moving to make sure you are keeping going in the direction you want.
Secondly, it’s worth learning – before you go anywhere dangerous – how to recognize some of the major stars in the sky. In the northern hemisphere, the Pole Star is exactly due north and in the southern hemisphere, a constellation called the Southern Cross can be used to find south. Why not check out some books on the skies from your local library and try identifying the stars? It’s a useful skill that could, one day, save your life.
Finally, as you travel through an unknown terrain, you can mark specific points by using little piles of stones or similar – like Khalid does – and by making notes of what you pass. If you have to leave a group to find help, making a map like this would mean you could find your way back to them. Always have an emergency R.V. (rendezvous) to find your way back to. Whatever method you use, you must keep it simple because, when you are tired and hungry, it is hard to concentrate. Again, this is something you could practise at home – even in a local park.
8. WEATHER
You may think it is always just hot and sunny in the desert, but this isn’t quite true. There can be sudden dust or sandstorms or, in some deserts, flash floods which are produced by sudden torrential rain. If you get stuck in a sandstorm, sand will enter virtually every possible orifice in your body (ouch!) but the most important parts to protect will be your eyes and nose so that you can keep on breathing. Wrap cloth around your head and aim to take shelter immediately. It’s a good idea to pack a shovel or two with your equipment; a sandstorm can produce a lot of sand in a very short period of time and you might need to dig yourself or someone else out – or dig your vehicle tyres out of soft sand when driving in dunes. When I have been in the desert, I have seen vehicles buried under sand so it is very important to keep all your equipment together so if you are hit by a storm, you don’t lose anything.
9. ILLNESS AND INJURIES
Even the smallest scratch can easily get irritated by sand or infected if not treated immediately. Alex carries potassium permanganate in his survival kit as this creates an antiseptic if added to water, and I would certainly recommend to anyone going into a desert environment to make sure they carry some kind of antiseptic to treat any wounds. You might also pick up a thorn and these must be pulled out immediately (even if they’re in an embarrassing place, so watch out where you sit down!).
Sprained ankles or ligaments are also possible if walking through – or climbing up – deep sand. Don’t try to set a faster pace of travelling than the weakest person can manage and, if you do sprain an ankle, yet have to carry on walking, keep your boot on or the ankle might swell and you won’t be able to get your boot on again.
Fin
ally, do keep an eye out for insects or snakes. Most of them would much prefer to leave you alone, but you do need to be aware that the desert is home to quite a few creatures you would rather not get to know – and many of them will be using the same places to take shelter that you pick. Scorpions, for example, may shelter under rocks. Watch where you step, shake out any clothing or bedding material – and your boots – before you use it and don’t panic if you do come face-to-face with a snake. Try not to move suddenly (many snakes attack movement) and just back off very slowly.
10. SIGNAL FOR RESCUE
If you planned your expedition properly, there should almost certainly be people out looking for you quite soon after you become lost or stuck. This can take time, however, and it’s worth being prepared to make their job as easy as possible by using signals. A couple of signals that could be used are:
FIRE: smoke makes a good signal, so have a fire ready and make sure you can light it promptly.
ROCKS could be arranged in the sand to spell out the universal call for help: SOS.
In daytime, use the sun’s rays to attract attention by angling a piece of glass, or even a bit of shiny foil, to catch the rays and flashing a light. Remember: if you repeat any signal three times, with pauses between, this is the international signal used by someone requiring help.
If you had established a camp when you first became lost, and then had to move for some reason, leave clear direction signals at the original campsite so that rescuers will know where to look eg: if you plan to walk north, arrange stones in the sand to form an arrow in that direction with a large N by it.
BE SAFE!
Random House Children’s Books and Chris Ryan would like to make it clear that these tips are for use in a serious situation only, where your life may be at risk. We cannot accept any liability for inappropriate usage in normal conditions.
About the Author
Chris Ryan joined the SAS in 1984 and has been involved in numerous operations with the regiment. During the Gulf War, he was the only member of an eight-man team to escape from Iraq, three colleagues being killed and four captured. It was the longest escape and evasion in the history of the SAS. For this he was awarded the Military Medal. He wrote about his remarkable escape in the adult bestseller The One That Got Away (1995), which was also adapted for screen.
He left the SAS in 1994 and is now the author of a number of bestselling thrillers for adults. His work in security takes him around the world and he has also appeared in a number of television series, most recently Hunting Chris Ryan, in which his escape and evasion skills were demonstrated to the max. The Alpha Force titles are his first books for young readers.
Table of Contents
Cover
Meet the Team
Also available in the Alpha Force series
Alpha Force: Desert Pursuit
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chris Ryan's Top Ten Tips for Survival in a Desert
About the Author
