[SaveFerris]

[The office says Thomas and her husband were hiking in the Mojave Desert approximately 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of the I-40 freeway when they got separated.]

How do you get separated in the Mojave Desert?

I’ve never been there. But it seems like “I’m going off on my own” is not a good strategy.

[VeniVidiVici]

How do you get separated in the Mojave Desert?

You can get separated from somebody but it takes some doing. You'd have to go in opposite directions. There are not trees to hide your egress. And after a while one hill looks like the next.

However, I would think these two have done it for awhile. A little help from a compass or walkie-talkies solves the issue.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

There's been a lot of rain there lately. Sage and other brush and cactus can grow rather tall. Joshua trees can also hide one person from another. And then there are the arroyos, hills and dunes.

If they were both tired and thirsty they might have just been plodding along with their heads down to avoid the glare from the sun. And if they were going at a different pace...

[Fiji Hill]

How do you get separated in the Mojave Desert?

The Mojave Desert contains many rugged mountain ranges where one could get separated.

But if she is 20 miles north of I-40, she would not be all that far from a road--I-15 to the north, Rte. 95, Rte. 62, Kelbaker Road (between Kelso and Baker), Cima Road, or Nipton Road (between I-15 and Searchlight, Nev.) All of these roads should have traffic.