Middle Earth Ranger Forum

Taking after Frothgar,

Here is the scenario:

For whatever reason the camel train you are currently travelling with abandon you in the middle of the desert and (cus the Haradhrim are good men at heart) they leave you with 3 objects of your choice.
Now you are alone. You are wearing trousers and a shirt. It is summer and just past noon, coming to the hottest part of the day. It will reach about 110 degrees (and oh yes it can get that hot here).
You know the nearest oasis is maybe 40 miles to the south and the coast is probably the same distance to the west.
The caravan's tracks seem to be leading further inland, to the east, but they left you about an hour ago and you know that you will go more slowly than them on foot. You have no idea where they are heading.

what do you take?

which direction do you head to?

and what is your plan of action?

an extra large loose white robe, a sword and a full wineskin of water.

The extra large robe will provide some shade and head covering in the day and extra warm in the night **no footwear was mentioned so if without, I'd cut pieces from the robe to cover my feet andd strips to tie them in place.

Most snakes are eatable and a sword lets you strike from a little more distance than a knife or dagger. A sword is also a better weapon against human attackers.

The bladder of water goes without saying.



Head West toward the coast 1) it's harder to miss than an oasis 2) there are always villages and towns by the sea 3) even if you have to walk a little farther to find a village, cooler winds come off the sea decreasing your rate of dehydration 4) water will desaltinate somewhat when filtered through earth/sand but only if you are near a water source which will tide you over until you reach a village so dig shallow holes when you can smell the sea and either use your hands or absorb the moisture in the robe and wring it out over your mouth.

Try doing the bulk of your trek at night when it's cooler. Plot landmarks if possible before the sun goes down or guide by the constellations.

What Pete said,

Plus. Use your large robe for a tent during the hottest part of the day and travel at night. Is it hart to sleep in a tiny, hot tent made of a robe? Yes, and I speak from experience! But there's enough light at night in the desert to travel by and you can use the stars to navigate. If you don't know the local constellations you can wait until dusk and base your direction off of the visible stars that show up just after the sun has set.

Three things of my choice? They are good natured indeed, so I would not abuse their generosity... I would just take a skin of water and a camel

Weaponry, I would already have, clothing I would already have, as well as provisions, a bite and a drop ....The extra water would be for the camel

R.D.Metcalf wrote:Three things of my choice? They are good natured indeed, so I would not abuse their generosity... I would just take a skin of water and a camel

Weaponry, I would already have, clothing I would already have, as well as provisions, a bite and a drop ....The extra water would be for the camel

Damn it I missed the obvious ! Thanks for bringing us back to our senses .

LOL, I missed it myself! You only have your clothing with you, not weapons, etc,...

Anyway, Pete you got the idea the first time round..

I'd bring my sword, plenty of water, and my cloak that I'd make a tent out of to wait until the sun has passed.