Deserts are probably one of the harshest environments out there. With very little water and often extreme temperatures, they certainly aren’t places many ordinary people want to explore. Or are they?
You might be surprised to hear this, but today more than one billion people (yes, “billion” with a b) live in and around deserts. The reasons for that are a few, the most important of them being the fact that humans are simply very adaptable. We have figured out ways to survive and even thrive in places where very few animals can. Dubai, Casablanca, Phoenix, and Las Vegas are all desert cities with thousands of people enjoying their everyday lives.
Still, that doesn’t make the uninhabited parts of deserts any less menacing. Especially with all the weird things people come across there—such as the ones on this list. Scroll down to see the oddities that people have captured while out in the desert.
#1 A Desert Rose In Yemen
Hiking in the desert is probably one of the weirder pastimes that people willingly subject themselves to. It sounds uncomfortable, dangerous, and totally not worth it. Nonetheless, there are many enthusiasts out there. And, unsurprisingly, some of them get lost in the wilderness once in a while.
A lot of the times, this happens to people that get comfortable with danger and forget how treacherous nature can be. This is what happened toEd Rosenthal who, one fine day in September 2010, decided to go on his usual 4-mile hike. He’d done it plenty of times, so he only took a small bottle of water with him and went on his merry way.
#2 Libyan Desert Glass
#3 10,000-Year-Old Giraffe Engravings In The Sahara Desert
During the hike though, Ed decided to take a little detour to explore the canyons. The views were beautiful and he was enjoying it until he realized the sun is setting and he has no clue how to get home. Whoopsie-daisy!
The man decided to stay put and not wander anywhere else in case he got even more lost. A couple days passed and he was parched, so he started praying for rain. Miraculously, his prayers were answered and he made attempts to get people’s attention with fire, but even then there was no sign of anyone around. That was not until the sixth day when the helicopter that was looking for him spotted Ed on the Canyon floor.
After a few days in the hospital, Ed recovered. Unsurprisingly, he swore off hiking in that area ever again.
#4 Swirling Patterns In Rock, Nevada Desert
#5 Found This Little Guy Abandoned In The Desert
#6 Rare Super Blooms In The Desert Of Joshua Tree, CA
Accidentally getting lost is one thing. But going to the desert to run 155 miles in extreme conditions is on a completely new level of dangerous. But, surprise, surprise, people do that every year.
#7 Found A Wild Watermelon Plant In The Sahara Desert
#8 Bobcat Sitting On Top Of 40-Foot-Tall Cactus In The Arizona Desert After Being Chased By A Mountain Lion
#9 Walking Mesquite In The Sonoran Desert
Marathon des Sablesis a 9-day long race that happens in the southern Moroccan Sahara. People pay thousands of dollars to participate in what’s called a “self-sufficient adventure.” This means every runner has to carry all their own supplies for the whole week with them. The only thing they get at the rest stations is water and a place to sleep. Sounds enticing?
#10 An Old Man I Met In The Desert Of California
#11 Found A Rabbit Abandoned In The Desert, Taped In A Cereal Box
#12 Million-Years-Old Whale Fossil Found In The Sahara Desert
Well, for Italian policeman and former OlympianMauro Prosperi,it sounded like something he’d enjoy. So, back in 1994, he went there and was one of the fastest people out there until he was met by a sandstorm which threw him off course. He started running in the wrong direction and kept at it for a while until he realized he was probably mistaken.
#13 This Is Wonderstone. A Natural Rock Found In The Desert Of Utah
#14 A Desert Oasis In Peru
#15 The Odd Yareta Plant, Grows In Chile In One Of The Driest Deserts In The World
Prosperi didn’t lose his spirit, though, he kept at it. He walked until he found a shrine. Inside, there were bats that he ate for both water and food. He “set up camp” in the shrine, hoping to find a way out, but after another sandstorm hit, he thought he’s done for. So, he decided to end his life by cutting his wrists. However, he was so dehydrated, his wounds clotted pretty much instantly. For him, it was a sign to carry on.
#16 This Shrine To Dogs That Have Passed, Stuck Randomly In A Desert Wash
#17 Ships Of The Desert
#18 A Wet Road I Found In The Desert
So, Prosperi started walking towards the clouds. He drank his urine and ate everything he could find: ants, mice, snakes, and leaves. Eventually, he saw something moving in the distance. It was a herd of goats with a little girl. After nine and a half days, he finally found people.
#19 Found “The Final Countdown” By Europe Cassette Tape In The Desert
#20 Some Iron Filings That We Collected With A Magnet Out In The Mohave Desert
#21 A Prada Store In The West Texas Desert That Is Never Open For Business
He returned to Italy soon after, where he promised to come back and complete the marathon. Which, of course, he did in 1997. And then, nine more times, the last one being in 2017 when he was 62 years old. What a legend!
#22 Abandoned Star Wars’ Set In The Tunisian Desert
#23 Found This Skull While Out Riding My Quad In The Arizona Desert Today
#24 Hotdog Stand In The Middle Of The Desert
All in all, deserts are dangerous, so be safe out there. Better yet, don’t go hiking on your own. And make sure to grab a camera in case you spot any oddities that are similar to the ones on this list.
#25 Abandoned Train Tracks In California
It was a 11-mile hike in a super cold windy desert but there were amazing tunnels and bridges everywhere it was definitely worth it to see what happens over time.
#26 A Train Sits Abandoned In The Arabian Desert Nearly 100 Years After Being Ambushed By T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence Of Arabia) And His Infamous Rebels
#27 Stumbled Upon A Strange Doorway While Hiking In The High Desert Today
#28 This Salt Mine Trench In The Mohave Desert
#29 Button To Save People From Crossing The Desert From Mexico
#30 I Did Not Just Find Al Capone’s Old Hideout In The Desert. I Just Skated Al Capone’s Old Pool? I️ Love Living In My Van
#31 House Abandoned And Retaken By The Desert In California
#32 Obelisk In The Desert, USA, UT
#33 Desert Finds
#34 Abandoned Cinema In The Egyptian Desert. The End Of The World Cinema
#35 These Mud Cracks In The Mojave Desert Were Pretty Cool
#36 Dozens Of People Have Left Frogs Near The Mojave Road In The Middle Of The Mojave Desert
#37 Staircase In The Desert Outside Las Vegas
#38 This Sunflower We Found In Our Desert Garden
#39 An Outdoor Sculpture Of A Specter And A Bicycle In The Desert
#40 A Village In The Middle Of A Desert. By Far, One Of The Coolest Places I’ve Ever Seen
#41 An Old Abandoned Miner Town Graveyard, That Is Bigger Than The Actual Town. In The Middle Of The Atacama Desert
#42 Chinese Lion Statue On The Side Of The Road In The Middle Of The Mojave Desert
#43 Ancient Rock Art I Found In The Desert In Israel: Hunter And Ibex
#44 Off-Road And Hiking To Utah Monolith
#45 My Friend Traveled To Egypt And Found This Crazy Awesome-Looking Object In The Middle Of The Desert. Meteorite?
#46 Found In The Nevada Desert
#47 The Remains Of A Piano Found Miles Into The Middle Of The Desert
#48 I Found A Notebook At A Burnt-Down House In The Desert
#49 I Stumbled Upon This Tombstone Out In The Desert
#50 Really Tall Mailbox In The Desert
