Good question.

I'm new to the forum also. So from one newbie to another, welcome.

I can only echo some of the sentiments already posted. If you are prepared, it's an inconvenience that will never make the news. If not, then it becomes a life threatening emergency.

I grew up in Arizona (but now live in NYC) so most of my outdoor experience is in the desert. My friends and I liked to camp and 4 wheel, so we had a few close calls. Fortunately, my father was a WWII vet who fought in North Africa. He knew about desert survival and took great pains to teach me all he had learned. The most important lesson was, as I am sure you have heard many times before on this forum, to be prepared.

I have on more than one occasion had to hike back to town after getting the 4WD stuck. (One of the "virtues" of owning a 4wd is that you can get stuck farther from a paved road than the guy who only owns a 2wd.) I always carried water, food, a compass, and a flashlight among other things. So the worst I ever suffered was sunburn and sore muscles. Without water at the least, I can think of more than one time when things could have turned out much worse.

One of the great virtues of this forum is that there are several very knowledgable people here who expertly analze the mistakes others have made. That has helped me be able to analyze the mistakes I have made, and hopefully adjusted my strategies and preparation accordingly. But only time will tell.