Desert Thirst

A clinical discussion of the effects of six-and-a-half days without water on a man lost in the Cabeza Prieta, the story of Pablo Valencia’s August odyssey to the very rim of desert death is a testament to endurance, humanity, and the absolute power of the desert. McGee’s careful, tender, descriptive language is deeply affecting; in its modest way, it is great literature. This paper, rediscovered years ago by Bunny Fontana, has acquired a sort of cult status among desert rats. It is so graphic and so powerful that it is read aloud at Southern Arizona Rescue Association meetings. You’ve been warned. -Joseph Wilder Director The Southwest Center at The University of Arizona