*This story was originally published in July 2013 and updated with information from the riscord of 2020.
Welcome to the Valley of Death, a place that, according to experts, is among the hottest on our planet and in which heat records have been broken in recent years.
In this inhospitable place of Martian geography located in the Mojave Desert, in eastern California, on June 30, 2013 the thermometer marked the highest temperature ever recorded: 53.8 ° C.
The record was held for only 7 years, since this August 16 it reached 54.4 ° C, a new mark (since there are reliable records).
Also read: Death Valley in California registers record temperature of 54.4 ° C
Inhabited for at least a thousand years by the Timbisha tribe, the Valley of Death received its name from the adventurers who dared to cross it in the early 19th century, attracted by the gold rush.
In 1994 it was declared a National Park and today about a million people visit it every year to enjoy its spectacular desert landscape.
Going into this place does not seem like a good idea.
But you don’t realize how risky the undertaking is until there’s no turning back and, under a scorching sun, the only thing you have ahead of you is a highway that seems to lead to infinity.
“If you get lost, in a couple of days we will find your body”
The first stop on the tour is, obligatory, at the information point located at one of the park entrances.
The navigation system on my phone stopped working for a long time due to lack of coverage and I have no choice but to resort to a traditional map.
The woman who serves me asks me in a questioning tone if I intend to go down to the Badwater Basin, the deepest and hottest part of the valley.
After reminding me of the risks and making sure I have enough supplies of water in the car, he jokes, “Don’t worry. If you get lost, we’ll find your body in a couple of days.”
A French couple accompanied by their two daughters watches the conversation with amusement. Then they tell me that they had traveled to Death Valley with the intention of camping, although, after realizing that they could not get out of the car for more than five minutes, they gave up their idea and spent the night in a motel.
“It has been an excellent experience. The hottest experience of our lives,” they tell me with a laugh.
The Badwater Basin
With my first objective marked on the map, I walk the 100 kilometers that separate me from the Badwater Basin, the most iconic attraction in the park.
Located 85.5 meters below sea level, this place is the lowest point in North America and one of the driest and hottest in the world.
Annual rainfall in the basin – whose surface is covered by a thick layer of salt – does not reach 50 millimeters and in some years it has not rained at all.
The hellish temperatures in Badwater, especially in the summer months, have a lot to do with the geography of the place.
When the air at ground level heats up, it begins to rise, although it is trapped by the surrounding mountains and atmospheric pressure, so it goes down again.
This creates circular hot air currents that make, even in the shade, the heat unbearable. According to meteorologists, the highest constant temperatures on Earth are recorded here.
Upon reaching the basin, I get out of the car ready to join the dozen tourists who are taking photos. As soon as I open the door, a blast of scorching air hits me in the face. It is close to noon and there is no time to lose.
Despite having my head covered, I begin to feel the temperature of the frames of my sunglasses rise and sweat runs down my face.
Within a few minutes my camera, like the phone in my pocket, has become so hot that I can hardly hold it, so I decide it’s time to get back to the car.
I stop for a moment next to the van of an American television team. They have placed a frying pan on the floor with a thermometer. The temperature that marks: 153ºF (70 ° C).
Water and more water
About 20 miles from the Badwater Basin is the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. It was here that on July 10, 1913 the thermometer reached 56.7 ° C, a temperature that, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), is the highest ever recorded.
Also read: In the Valley of Death discover the mystery of the stones that move by themselves
However, a 2016 analysis by meteorological historian Christopher Burt says that other temperatures in the 1913 region do not support that year’s Death Valley reading.
In 1931, another record temperature for the planet, 55 ° C, was recorded in Tunisia, but Burt said that this reading, as well as others recorded in Africa during the colonial era, had “serious credibility problems.”
At the entrance to the visitor center, a digital thermometer marks a temperature ranging from 126º F to 128º F (around 53º C), while a group of tourists waits patiently under the relentless sun to take a picture.
Among them are Felix and Elena, who are taking a tour of the west coast of the US and who have been taken by surprise by the heat wave.
“We had planned to visit the Valley of Death, but we did not expect it to be so hot. We came from Las Vegas and there was also a temperature to die for. We took the car loaded with water,” they tell me.
Carole Wendler, the director of the center, explains to me that, on days like this, what worries them most is “the safety of tourists and park workers.”
“We have to make sure that the warning messages we launch reach everyone. This is not a good week for hiking. It is best to move by car and carry enough water reserves.”
According to Wendler, “most people follow the recommendations” they give, although every year they have to come to the rescue of a tourist.
“Many do not drink enough water. They do not realize that this place is not only hot, it is also very dry, so body fluids are quickly lost,” he explains.
No technology available
To avoid becoming one more victim of the heatwave, I take shelter in the restaurant of one of the few hotels that operate in the area and which at this time of year is mainly occupied by European tourists.
The waiter who serves me tells me that this is his second summer in the Valley of Death. “It’s fun,” he says. “Most of the workers come from abroad to spend the summer season here.”
Next to the restaurant, there is a swimming pool in which some guests try to cope with the heat wave as best they can.
I decide to sit in the shade and wait for the sun to go down a bit before starting my return trip, although it turns out to be a bad idea.
After a few minutes, an alert message appears on my phone screen telling me that the appliance is too hot and the laptop I’m working on shuts down without prior notice. The technology – which so often gets us out of trouble – does not resist the temperatures of Death Valley either.
Armed with a map and several gallons of water, I set out on my way back to Los Angeles.
Without a doubt, after this experience, the word heat has acquired a new dimension.
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