Desert Daze Course
Sonoran Desert Days

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

Sonoran Desert Daze: Modern Desert Survival

Be Prepared for Hot Environments in a Changing World

Class limited to 12 students
April 12-13, 2025
Tuition: $695   ($765 after October 15th. Save $70!)
Instructors: Cody Lundin and Mark Dorsten
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Click here for wait list options if course is labeled "full"

Hyperthermia and dehydration can quickly kill you if you're not prepared. Increasing temperatures worldwide cause issues for people in both town and country. Arizona is the only state in the union that is home to all four North American deserts; the Great Basin, the Sonoran, the Mojave, and the Chihuahuan. All present a challenge to those who venture into them unprepared. Whether you're new to the desert, a day hiker, a backpacker, or travel to hot environments for business, this course will help keep you alive during a hot weather emergency.

Desert Shelter: where, what, why and how to build improvised shelter to prevent hyperthermia, how to sleep cooler using physics, using space blankets and tarps and desert clothing choices.

Water Wisdom: learn the truth about creating water through evapotranspiration, bag and solar stills, how to defeat dehydration and hyponatremia, simple yet effective maximal hydration techniques, desert water requirements for men and women, nature’s water indicators and modern and primitive water disinfection techniques.

Signaling for Rescue: getting attention using mirrors, ground to air, sound and smoke, setting up your vehicle for rescue and activating the Search and Rescue system.

Hot Weather Psychology and Physiology: trip planning, recognizing desert priorities, arid land traveling techniques, desert survival gear and dealing with fear.

Desert Flora and Fauna: desert weather, desert plant and animal adaptations, edible and medicinal plants of the Sonoran desert, rattlesnakes, scorpions, cone-nosed bugs and more.

This is must know information if you visit or live in or around desert areas! Get to know the desert on Her terms for your increased safety and enjoyment of arid lands. (minimal hiking required)

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"This course changed a lot of things about my life. I felt totally comfortable the whole time and learned so much. It came at a time when my kids had left home and life was becoming a dull routine. Since the trip, we bought mountain bikes and road bikes. Every weekend we hit the trails one day and the road the other day. We are always going to new places, and having a great time! I have my emergency tools and always bring extra water, which usually gets used by someone else on the trail who didn't prepare and was struggling. I feel changed for the better by this experience."
Cecelia Maurer, “Sonoran Desert Daze” alum, 2015.