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.
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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 This Shrine To Dogs That Have Passed, Stuck Randomly In A Desert Wash
Image credits: OakTeach
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 to Ed 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 Dozens Of People Have Left Frogs Near The Mojave Road In The Middle Of The Mojave Desert
Image credits: APKurt
#3 Libyan Desert Glass
Image credits: Distinctboxes
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 Found “The Final Countdown” By Europe Cassette Tape In The Desert
Image credits: Johnickel2
#5 A Wet Road I Found In The Desert
Image credits: BumbleBTuna
#6 Really Tall Mailbox In The Desert
Image credits: enderval
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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 Staircase In The Desert Outside Las Vegas
Image credits: Apollyon1991
#8 Ships Of The Desert
Image credits: UrinalCakes
#9 Hotdog Stand In The Middle Of The Desert
Image credits: Mattstack
Marathon des Sables is 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 House Abandoned And Retaken By The Desert In California
Image credits: DrFetusRN
#11 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.
Image credits: Vincent_Baldwin
#12 Abandoned Star Wars’ Set In The Tunisian Desert
Image credits: Sheebzzzz
Well, for Italian policeman and former Olympian Mauro 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 Bobcat Sitting On Top Of 40-Foot-Tall Cactus In The Arizona Desert After Being Chased By A Mountain Lion
Image credits: Sleeeepy_Hollow
#14 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
Image credits: TheVanWithNoPlan
#15 Some Iron Filings That We Collected With A Magnet Out In The Mohave Desert
Image credits: sMaMss
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 Found This Little Guy Abandoned In The Desert
Image credits: joooloop
#17 A Desert Rose In Yemen
Image credits: marcograssiphoto
#18 Unexpected Sight At A Crossroads In Death Valley
Image credits: Strong_Cheetah_7989
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 A Wild Watermelon Plant In The Sahara Desert
Image credits: SuperFishy
#20 Button To Save People From Crossing The Desert From Mexico
Image credits: bobakonush55
#21 An Old Abandoned Miner Town Graveyard, That Is Bigger Than The Actual Town. In The Middle Of The Atacama Desert
Image credits: brocolima
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 Swirling Patterns In Rock, Nevada Desert
Image credits: dustinwong
#23 Old Taco Bell Express In The Desert
Image credits: smbdev
#24 10,000-Year-Old Giraffe Engravings In The Sahara Desert
Image credits: reddit.com
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 Million-Years-Old Whale Fossil Found In The Sahara Desert
Image credits: AhmedMosaad
#26 I Found A Notebook At A Burnt-Down House In The Desert
Image credits: Swiss6Army9Knife
#27 Abandoned Shack In Mojave Desert, CA
Image credits: Idislikehotdogs
#28 Walking Mesquite In The Sonoran Desert
Image credits: OctopussSevenTwo
#29 Ships Abandoned In The Desert That Was Once The Aral Sea
Image credits: Arian Zwegers
#30 Desert Finds
Image credits: Joe Reifer
#31 Obelisk In The Desert, USA, UT
Image credits: holy-shot
#32 A Prada Store In The West Texas Desert That Is Never Open For Business
Image credits: elizabethdanford
#33 Special Place From My Childhood. Abandoned In The Mojave Desert
Image credits: db3feather
#34 Off-Road And Hiking To Utah Monolith
Image credits: DeepOverland
#35 This Is Wonderstone. A Natural Rock Found In The Desert Of Utah
Image credits: Iamonly7
#36 The Odd Yareta Plant, Grows In Chile In One Of The Driest Deserts In The World
Image credits: worldbeyondyourown
#37 I Stumbled Upon This Tombstone Out In The Desert
Image credits: Paper_McGibblets
#38 The Remains Of A Piano Found Miles Into The Middle Of The Desert
Image credits: steinenhoot
#39 Stumbled Upon A Strange Doorway While Hiking In The High Desert Today
Image credits: m4rceline
#40 Abandoned Helicopter – Mojave Desert
Image credits: danpointzero
#41 Jar Of Pickles Bleached White By The Sun, Found In The Desert
Image credits: reddit.com
#42 Abandoned Mining Complex In The Moroccan Desert
Image credits: 3dmontdant3s
#43 Atacama Desert Clothing Dump. Some Clothes Were Never Used And Still Have Tags On Them
Image credits: reddit.com
#44 An Old Man I Met In The Desert Of California
Image credits: CStanMM
#45 A Renaissance Era Shipwreck In The Middle Of The Desert Dunes
Image credits: tupe12
#46 This Salt Mine Trench In The Mohave Desert
Image credits: codingclosure
#47 Three Half-Days Of Driving And Cycling In The Southern Utah Desert Paid Off. I Found The Dilapidated Building
Image credits: Europa13
#48 Found In The Nevada Desert
Image credits: Hairyhippies
#49 An Outdoor Sculpture Of A Specter And A Bicycle In The Desert
Image credits: pawsplay36
#50 Chinese Lion Statue On The Side Of The Road In The Middle Of The Mojave Desert
Image credits: Howtodudes
#51 There’s A Hobby Horse Off Of A Dirt Road In The Middle Of The Arizona Desert
Image credits: mandy22panda
#52 Abandoned House In Mojave Desert
Image credits: louisbabyarmstrong
#53 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
Image credits: AtlantisAI
#54 Out Deep On A Desert Hike, I Found A Secret Spot Someone Has Been Returning To For A While
Image credits: EverythingBranches
#55 These Mud Cracks In The Mojave Desert Were Pretty Cool
Image credits: ilikefishwaytoomuch
#56 Found This Skull While Out Riding My Quad In The Arizona Desert Today
Image credits: kazoo3179
#57 Vintage Soda Machine In An Abandoned Desert Town In Nevada
Image credits: prison-doc
#58 Found A Rabbit Abandoned In The Desert, Taped In A Cereal Box
Image credits: Muppetrubber
#59 Abandoned Cinema In The Egyptian Desert. The End Of The World Cinema
Image credits: kaupokikkas
#60 Rare Super Blooms In The Desert Of Joshua Tree, CA
Image credits: abarker05
#61 Found This In The Desert Near The Great Pyramids Of Giza
Image credits: JochenZimmermann
#62 Abandoned House In The Desert Of Utah
Image credits: Prizz419
#63 Desert Roses, Near Dammam, KSA
Image credits: Cllrteck
#64 A Desert Oasis In Peru
Image credits: Luciphyr729
#65 A Village In The Middle Of A Desert. By Far, One Of The Coolest Places I’ve Ever Seen
Image credits: eyeofshe_
#66 My Friend Traveled To Egypt And Found This Crazy Awesome-Looking Object In The Middle Of The Desert. Meteorite?
Image credits: alexseiji
#67 Tesla Stations In Middle Of Desert, AZ
Image credits: nerdy_J
#68 The Erosion On This Sand Dune Has Left The Fence Post Suspended Above The Sand
Image credits: chemicalmum
#69 Stopped At A Traffic Light, And Noticed Someone Carved A Question On A Sand Dune
Image credits: wormholetrafficjam
#70 Random Piece Of Street In The Middle Of The Desert
Image credits: bogbunzhun
#71 This Bizarre Art Project In The Desert, 40 Miles Outside Of Las Vegas. People For Scale
Image credits: jltacoz
#72 I Discovered An Old Car Graveyard In The Arizona Desert
Image credits: qbande
#73 Spiral Made Out Of Rocks In The Desert
Image credits: twohardheads
#74 Ancient Rock Art I Found In The Desert In Israel: Hunter And Ibex
Image credits: Distaplia
#75 This Sunflower We Found In Our Desert Garden
Image credits: Draco11242000
Source: boredpanda.com