Cody and Dave walk into the barren expanse of the Baja salt flat where conditions are similar to Death Valley and scarce rainfall turns as briny as seawater after it hits the ground. There's no chance of survival on this sun-scorched plain, so the pair won't waste any time moving to higher ground.
Image Credit: DCL
On their way toward the high country rimming the basin, Cody and Dave are caught in one of the frequent dust storms that torment eyes and noses and suck the moisture out of your body at an accelerated rate.
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Once they reach the hill country, Cody and Dave pull up for a break in the first shade they've come across. Getting out of the sun can be a lifesaver, but they must soon find water somewhere in this arid landscape, a daunting assignment but one that Arizona-native Cody has tackled many times.
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Probing for underground water sources in the most likely spots -- the lowest, well shaded parts of dry watercourses, for example -- Cody recovers a few quarts of silty water. Because it was protected in an aquifer, the water is deemed safe to drink without filtering even if it's not exactly refreshing.
Image Credit: DCL
One useful technique for starting a fire -- if a plastic bag is available -- is to fill it with a fist size amount water and make it into a ball. If used properly, this water bag will work like a lens to focus sunlight that can light tinder. But in the Baja desert. with drinking water in very short supply, Dave improvises and uses his own urine as a substitute for water.
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As desolate and challenging as the wild Baja country may be for most, for Cody it's almost like being home. Working with Dave they find water, make fire and round up enough food to get by long enough to find a way out.
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Dave cooks up rabbit caught during the night in one of Cody's snare traps. The meat is a welcome alternative for Dave's red-meat taste buds that were faced with a vegetarian fare of cholla cactus, pine nuts and sweet acorns.
Image Credit: DCL
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