The Eclectic Lapidary - Desert Trails Mean Two Vehicles, Staying in Touch, and Being Prepared

Volume I, Number 11	Carol J. Bova, Editor. Web Publishing by Doppler FX.	10/01/97

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Desert Trails Mean Two Vehicles, Staying in Touch, and Being Prepared

Recently, someone on the Rockhounds Mailing List reported on a field trip gone awry because of a last minute change in plans, the first vehicle not keeping track of the second, no extra food and water supplies, and no emergency gear when the second vehicle became stuck and stranded overnight.

While this incident ended with little more than minor inconvenience, some sore muscles from a long walk, and an uncomfortable night in the desert, it could have been a lot worse. Most rockhounds have been guilty of taking safety shortcuts at one time or another. It's not a good habit to get into and especially on club outings, we need to be careful to follow the normal safety precautions. If we don't teach good practices through our clubs, we're letting our membership down.

The following photos show a club outing where the participants ran into trouble but were better prepared. The location was near Last Chance Canyon, Mojave, California, in the Mojave Desert. The roads had been severely washed out the previous season by heavy rains. In this spring trip, after a caravan of several vehicles went several miles in on the main track, it became obvious that not all of them could make it to the collecting site because of the condition of the roads. In fact, there was no longer a road in several places. What had been a rough and rocky wash in previous years, now became the more desirable road...that's how bad conditions were.

Because the area might be closed to collecting permanently, the club wanted to make one last outing to look for a fabled petrified forest site: a whole forest buried vertically in ash from a volcanic eruption and able to be exposed by digging down only a few feet. We only had sketchy directions and were exploring several possible routes. An occasional bit of petrified wood or jasper kept our interest up.

When we finally decided the only way in to the most likely area was by the former wash, we doubled up into only two vehicles: a large 4-wheel drive pickup and a van, with the pickup in the lead. Not very far along, the van became stuck at a sandy, rocky rise. In trying to crest the rise, the van started to slip off the track altogether. At that point, everyone got out of both vehicles to assess the situation.

The pickup was carrying both heavy duty rope and chain with hooks on the ends. The chain was attached to the frame of the van, and the rope attached the chain to the truck. After everyone except the drivers moved a safe distance away, the first attempt was made to pull the van up the rise and out of the sand. It didn't work.

We then gathered small rocks to put in front of the tires of the van to give it some traction, and this did the trick. With a little wobbling, it popped up over the rise and out of trouble.

We clambered aboard and took off again. While we didn't find our petrified forest, we did have some fun looking and found some unusual small materials at each of our stops. But it would have been a lot different experience if the club president and former president hadn't been so well prepared for the bad road conditions.

What are some of the things you can do to be prepared?

Before you leave, let someone know approximately where you are going and when you are expecting to return. Give them the number of the nearest BLM or National Forest ranger station or police presence in the area. Make sure they have a description of your vehicles too. (Don't forget to call in though, if you're delayed by other reasons on the way home!)
Have a prearranged trouble signal between vehicles in the party. Flashing headlights and sounding the horn is one possibility. Walkie-talkies or CB's are even better.
Have someone in the first vehicle assigned to watch the second vehicle to catch any signals or signs of the second unit falling behind.
If you get stuck in the desert despite your best plans, STAY with the vehicles! Use one of Jan Noble's favorite items, duct tape, to spell out a HELP message on the hood or cab or roof of your vehicle. Planes are used for patrolling remote areas and spotting lost people and vehicles. Doesn't hurt to advertise you need help when you do, and vehicles are much more easily spotted than a person walking or down. Your vehicle can provide shade and should be carrying your survival gear too.
Review survival gear lists in BLM publications, on the Rockhounds list, in Jan Noble's articles...but review and carry the gear and supplies you'll need to survive. Water is first on the list. Earthquake emergency response training in L.A. says 1 gallon per person per day should be available in case of an earthquake. In the desert, more is better. Take an extra stash of high protein type food bars beyond your day's lunch. It might mean the difference between a simple wait and a very hungry one.
Make sure you have basic medical supplies.. again consult standard lists for details.
Have warm clothing and Mylar type survival blankets for cold night air.

There are probably more ideas you can add, but this should cover the basic necessities of safely getting through a night or two away from civilization. Email us at editor@bovagems.com or write to The Eclectic Lapidary, P.O. Box 5388, Glendale, CA 91221-5388 if you have other essentials we've neglected to mention.

Reprint permission granted in advance for use or adaptation for use in any club newsletter if credit given as follows:
Reprinted from The Eclectic Lapidary, http://www.bovagems.com/eclectic/

The Eclectic Lapidary is seeking helpful lapidary tips, tales of adventure, pictures of jewelry and commentary on lapidary issues. If you have an article or an idea for an article you'd like to see in the pages of EL, please contact us at eclectic@bovagems.com.