novel bin Chapter 718 - 60: The End of the World Is Coming!
Chapter 718 - 60: The End of the World Is Coming!
Identifying direction using sand dunes is considered a relatively complex method in the desert.If you’re not an expert, it’s best to use it with caution.
The method of using sand dunes to identify direction works very well in deserts primarily influenced by a single wind direction, such as trade winds.
People can find a certain pattern through the alignment of sand dunes, known as the sand ridge line.
Most of the time, the alignment of the sand dunes is perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction.
Therefore, once the direction of the trade winds is determined, it’s easy to identify directions.
Dennis is an expert.
In the summer of the Great Sand Desert, influenced by the Indian Ocean, the northwestern region of Australia is dominated by northwesterly monsoons.
Therefore, the sand ridge lines are often aligned northeast-southwest.
By judging the sand ridge lines of the dunes and with the aid of the sun, Dennis was very accurate in determining directions before.
Moreover, Dennis doesn’t rely on just this method.
Sometimes he also determines direction through wind erosion marks and vegetation differences.
But after this sandstorm, Dennis ignored the impact of the storm.
The wind direction of this sandstorm was completely different from the monsoon direction.
It roared in, lifting the sands, effectively destroying the alignment of the sand ridge lines.
And Dennis didn’t notice this, leading the way wrongly.
The group temporarily lost their direction, and they had traveled quite far!
Dennis, extremely frustrated, pounded his head, seemingly blaming himself for not realizing this.
Everyone quickly consoled Dennis, urging him to be calm.
After all, finding the correct direction and getting back on track was the most critical issue right now.
Dennis took a deep breath and said, "Now we can only use other methods to determine the direction, let’s try the shadow-tip method."
The shadow-tip method is also one of the most common ways to distinguish direction.
Everyone had used it frequently in their survival experiences before.
This method was acknowledged by everyone, and Dennis got busy.
However, Chen Wen looked at the gray sky and the faint, hidden sunlight.
He felt that this method might not work.
The process of implementing the shadow-tip method is not very complicated.
The first step is to find a straight rod, no special requirement, as long as it’s straight, such as a branch, a tent pole, or even a knife stuck vertically in the sand.
Once the straight rod is found, it’s simple.
The second step is to insert the found straight rod vertically into level ground.
Use any object, like a stone, to mark the top of the straight rod’s shadow, noting it as point a.
The third step is to wait in place for 15 to 30 minutes, until the shadow of the rod moves, then mark the new position of the shadow’s tip, noting it as point b.
The fourth step is to connect point a and point b to form a straight line, which indicates a general east-west direction.
Point a is west, point b is east.
Once east and west are found, north and south can be determined.
The fifth step is to draw another line perpendicular to this one, which indicates the north-south direction.
In the northern hemisphere, with your left foot on point a and right foot on point b, the direction you’re facing is true north.
In the southern hemisphere, it’s the opposite of the northern hemisphere.
After five steps, you can easily find the cardinal directions.
This method is precise and is very suitable for figuring out directions in completely unfamiliar places, especially after regaining consciousness from a faint.
However, this method heavily relies on the sun.
Once the sun is obscured, shadows cannot be determined.
Therefore, when Dennis borrowed Chen Wen’s long spear and set it up.
Dennis realized that this method wouldn’t work.
"No, the sun is covered by dust, you can’t see the shadow at all, it’s too dim, and the sun is about to set, the sky is also becoming very dark now!"
Dennis said, somewhat anxiously.
Chen Wen called out to the kite, planning to have it fly up to check the direction of the sun.
To roughly determine the west.
But after trying, the kite nervously said, "The wind is very strong up there, I’m afraid to go up, if I do, I might be blown away by the wind!"
Hearing this, Chen Wen naturally couldn’t let the kite take such a risk.
He soothed the kite, telling it not to worry.
The Taipan Snake also remained quiet at this time.
It no longer coiled around Chen Wen but lay inside a deflated camel’s stomach.
Since it was going to follow Chen Wen, the Taipan Snake found a suitable place to rest.
A camel’s stomach without water and quite cool was most suitable.
Chen Wen thought for a moment, intending to have everyone stop for now and wait for the sanddust to clear before proceeding.
But at this moment, in their anxiety, Hua Yun and the others also began attempting to identify direction.
Adam tried to use the alignment of the depths of the dunes to identify the direction but failed.
After all, dunes aren’t true mountains.
They can collapse anytime and be moved by strong winds.
Thus, Adam didn’t find the direction.
Hua Yun sought inspiration from the plants.
Some desert plants, like various shrubs, grow more luxuriantly on one side due to avoiding wind or seeking light.
You can determine north and south through the luxuriance of plants.
But this method is very irregular.
After all, plants are hugely influenced by moisture, soil, and microterrain, making it unreliable.
After Hua Yun rummaged through three or four plants and found their luxuriance completely inconsistent, she gave up.
Fred didn’t search.
But he confidently looked at the sky, waiting for night to fall.
He planned to determine directions by identifying constellations.
...
After the group achieved nothing.
Chen Wen straightforwardly said, "Everyone stop busying yourselves, listen to me, let’s camp here for the night, otherwise if we keep searching, not only won’t we find the direction, but it’ll also get completely dark."
These words made sense.
Dennis said, "Let’s wait for the night. After one night, the sandstorm’s influence will diminish tomorrow, making it possible to identify directions."
Hearing this, everyone ceased their efforts.
Instead, following Chen Wen’s suggestion, they found a wind-protected spot at the bottom of a sand dune and started to prepare a fire.
There’s no need to eat.
The sandstorm was so strong that they couldn’t even remove their masks.
Carefully lifting a corner, they drank some fresh water and began to rest.
...
Night quickly descended.
The temperature began to drop, and the desert seemed to change instantly from a burning furnace to a refrigerator.
The cold started to harass everyone.
But they had camel dung as fuel and a herd of camels for warmth.
So they weren’t afraid of the severe cold.
Dennis and Adam were on the first night watch.
The two of them kept an eye on the surroundings until midnight.
Dennis was having a hard time keeping awake, so he went to wake Fred to take over the night watch.
Adam wasn’t sleepy, so he decided to stay up with Fred a while longer.
After Fred got up, he brushed the dust off his eyes and sat on the sand, waking himself up for a moment.
A moment later, he groaned out, "I can determine the direction now!"
Hearing this, Adam was taken aback, "What method do you have?"
"Stargazing!"
Fred’s eyes were bright, "I really love watching stars, ever since I was little, I would climb up a spruce tree with my sister and watch the stars in the sky."
"In the wilderness without city lights, the stars are very bright and large; that’s when I learned to identify directions through the stars."
Talking about the past, Fred was greatly moved.
He wiped his eyes and looked up to find his most familiar Polaris...
A moment later.
Fred sheepishly lowered his head and looked at Adam, confused.
He scratched his head, seemingly still not understanding the situation: "Adam, I have discovered a major secret!"
"What?"
Adam responded, confusedly.
"The stars have gone chaotic! The end of the world is coming!"