Desert Survival Skills

by David Alloway

Overview

Remote desert locations, including the Chihuahuan Desert of northern Mexico, southern Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, draw adventurers of all kinds, from the highly skilled and well prepared to urban cowboys who couldn't lead themselves (much less a horse!) to water. David Alloway's goal in this book is to help all of them survive when circumstances beyond their control strand them in the desert environment. In simple, friendly language, enlivened with humor and stories from his own extensive experience, Alloway here offers a practical, comprehensive handbook for both short-term and long-term survival in the Chihuahuan and other North American deserts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780292704923
Publisher:	University of Texas Press
Publication date:	07/01/2000
Pages:	269
Sales rank:	872,491
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

The late David Alloway was an interpretive naturalist at Big Bend Ranch State Park who taught and practiced arid land survival techniques in the United States, Mexico, and Australia for over twenty years.

Table of Contents

• Preface: A Philosophy of Survival in the Desert
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: People and the Desert
• 1. Intelligence: The Ultimate Survival Tool
• 2. The Priorities of Desert Survival
• 3. Survival Kits
• 4. Water
• 5. Fire
• 6. Shelter
• 7. Aiding Rescuers
• 8. Expedient Vehicle Repairs and Uses
• 9. Chihuahuan Desert Plant Resources
• 10. Chihuahuan Desert Animal Resources
• 11. Expedient Tools and Weapons
• 12. Weather Hazards
• 13. Desert Hazards, First Aid, and Sanitation
• 14. Traveling and Wayfinding
• 15. Debriefing
• Appendix A. Wilderness Survival Schools
• Appendix B. Equipment Sources
• Glossary
• Selected References
• Index

Editorial Reviews

Every year people die in the deserts of California, the Southwest, and northern Mexico. Alloway's goal is to show how these deaths can be prevented through the use of desert survival skills. He covers survival in a logical and sequential manner, starting with "Intelligence: The Ultimate Survival Tool" and continuing with more specific topics such as survival kits, water, fire, shelter, tools and weapons, traveling, and wayfinding. Throughout, he liberally sprinkles true survival stories, which reinforce the need for acquiring desert survival skills. Illustrated with line drawings, photographs, and maps, the handbook includes a brief glossary and over 50 selected references. Alloway is employed as an interpretive naturalist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in the Chihuauan Desert, has worked with the U.S. Air Force on survival skills, and is a veteran of search and rescue-all of which explains why his book is authoritative, comprehensive, well written, and entertaining. Recommended for all public libraries in the region, large public libraries in the rest of the country, and academic libraries.-Thomas K. Fry, Univ. of Denver Lib.

Library Journal