Afoot in the Desert: A Contribution to Basic Survival

Many of our long-held beliefs about living in desert climates have been made obsolete in recent years. Recent scientific studies on water and heat exchanged in the human body make the old desert theories about thirst and ancient ideas on desert travel as out of date today as a Model T Ford or a World War I Jenny aircraft. Afoot in the Desert is written to bring men in the Air Force up to date on desert living conditions. It is intended to provide basic information for escape and evasion in desert regions. It makes available the most recent, reliable information concerning survival needs of the human body in the deserts of the world. There are numerous survival hints for you and me in the way desert plants and desert animals have adapted themselves to dry climate living. Afoot in the Desert shows you some of the lessons taught by plants and animals which have adjusted to life in dry climates. It gives you some idea of what to expect if you are forced down in these areas and find it necessary to live there until you can make it back to home and sweetheart. Unfortunately the space available does not permit descriptions of the beauty, the fascination, and the charm of the world's great deserts. Neither does it allow for details about the interesting peoples who live in deserts. However, the information presented will make it easier for you to land, to live, and travel afoot in the desert. At the time of original publication Alonzo W. Pond was Chief of the Desert Branch of the Arctic, Desert, Tropic Information Center at the Air University.