It is the not-so-distant future – perhaps next decade, or 2026, or maybe six months from now – and the apocalypse is here. For a more specific scenario, let’s say the Colorado River has finally run dry. Lake Mead has evaporated. You find yourself trapped in Las Vegas, which is in crisis; the lack of water and leadership has created a power vacuum. The only thing that punctuates the void is chaos.
In our hypothetical disaster, one thing is clear: You need to leave. The safest place left is Reno, Nevada, a city whose thirst is slaked with the mighty Lake Tahoe, but the sole paved road between here and there, US-95, is heavily blockaded and riddled with marauders. The only remaining path will force you to traverse the unforgiving high desert of the Sierra Nevada, and you only have three days of supplies.
