Locations - What's in Common?

[wareagle69]

i find it slightly amusing how most have said that when out of their comfort element the the survival needs would be a checklist in whatever order kind of like water check shelter check, but i think you would be amazed at how little you would be able to do in the ah lets say desert w/o first hand knowlegde of what to look for, its like in my area i have walked over and probably still walk over dozens of useful plants everyday, but everyday i learn something new, what would my potential be in a stressful sceanrio, much different i would say, right now i only focus on this area because i do not plan on going anywhere else but then again i never thought i would leave arizona and i was quite comy there either in the mountains or desert

[Gray Wolf]

Desert plant life is not the same even in the 4 distinct deserts in the US:

"In most modern classifications, the deserts of the United States and northern Mexico are grouped into four distinct categories. These distinctions are made on the basis of floristic composition and distribution -- the species of plants growing in a particular desert region. Plant communities, in turn, are determined by the geologic history of a region, the soil and mineral conditions, the elevation and the patterns of precipitation.

Three of these deserts -- the Chihuahuan, the Sonoran and the Mojave -- are called "hot deserts," because of their high temperatures during the long summer and because the evolutionary affinities of their plant life are largely with the subtropical plant communities to the south. The Great Basin Desert is called a "cold desert" because it is generally cooler and its dominant plant life is not subtropical in origin.
Chihuahuan Desert: A small area of southeastern New Mexico and extreme western Texas, extending south into a vast area of Mexico.
Great Basin Desert: The northern three-quarters of Nevada, western and southern Utah, to the southern third of Idaho and the southeastern corner of Oregon. According to some, it also includes small portions of western Colorado and southwestern Wyoming. Bordered on the south by the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.
Mojave Desert: A portion of southern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah and of eastern California, north of the Sonoran Desert.
Sonoran Desert: A relatively small region of extreme south-central California and most of the southern half of Arizona, east to almost the New Mexico line."

Thats a lot of species of plants to learn. The above information is from the Award winning book - America’s Deserts.

Here's some links if you want more info.

http://www.desertusa.com/
(use the links on the left for lots of info including:

Desert Plants & Wildflowers
Desert Animals & Wildlife
Desert Environment & Geology -Rocks, Gems & Minerals
Maps and River Information

[Jay]

Water, shelter, food, & safty. (ie. threat levels...from man or beast) Most people who know that survival is 60% or more in the mind...generally can adapt to any situation fast, regardless of their mental state before they got in to that situation. Training does count. that is something I have observed among most people who get in harm's way.

well i consider my self a lucky man i have trained in the mountains deserts jungles(which i hate) boreal forest and also cold weather training while i do have my comfort zones like every where but the jungle, it breaks down to the basics prioritize your needs, oh did i mention i hate the jungle soory pict you can have it.

Greetings WE.
I cant remember if I asked you this qestion before.....but what makes you hate the jungle so much?.....Is it the jungle as a whole or just some aspects of jungle survival such as humidity, bugs etc?

I'd be interested to know because I love the jungle but am not too fond of the arid areas here. they are mostly thorn scrub, brakish water scorpions,centepedes etc. You have to work hard in it. My hometown is up in the central hills around 6000ft. I currently live at around 3000ft in a town called Kandy but work mostly in the thick jungles of the lower areas. The thing that bothers me most is the heat in the lowland areas.

[Dennis K.]

The "comfort element" is certainly important. I think there are some stressors that could create difficulty with even the most well trained and prepared person. For example, When I was in the Permian Basin a coupla weeks ago, It was a family vacation - me, wife, 2 kids - 11 & 7. To expand on my first post, add those kids to the car break down scenario. suppose one of the family members was sick or injured. perhaps include a poorly stocked vehicle (my car had plenty of stuff - water, etc.) That situation would be very different from one in which we voluntarily go into the bush and test our skills.
I think it would be difficult to imagine every feasible stressor, but I can see how a situation could turn south pretty quickly.
The rule of 3's is a great no-nonsense tool for getting one's priorities straight. It does not, however, address real stress.

Gray Wolf - Thanks for the link.