White Sands and other desert places are not suitable areas to be out in this time of year with the intense heat. The old saying is three minutes without oxygen, three hours of exposure to the elements, three days without water and three weeks without food. In the heat of the deserts three days without water might be a stretch. You can greatly conserve your moisture if you stay in the shade, being still during the hottest hours by about two times the days without shade and moving around.

In the desert you can go out every day but keep it to the early morning hours before sunrise and be back in by early mid morning. And yes, take more water than you will need. We’ve done that many thousands of times.

The heat kills a lot of people every year out here. However many people go out with the proper clothing, supplies and knowledge over and over all year round with much pleasure. Sure there are running creeks in our canyons and mountains but we find a beauty in the surreal desert that has a constant draw upon us. Not a good time of year to do an overnight in the desert though and the mountains are getting too much monsoon activity with lightning.