Welcome to the Valley of Death, a place that, according to experts, is among the hottest on our planet and in which meteorologists have their eyes on the expectation that the mercury reaches a new record due to the intense wave of heat affecting the southwestern United States.
In this inhospitable place of Martian geography located in the Mojave Desert, in eastern California, on July 10, 1913 the thermometer marked the highest temperature ever recorded: 56.7 ° C.
Inhabited for at least 1,000 years by the Timbisha tribe, the Valley of Death was named after 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 one million people visit it every year to enjoy its spectacular desert landscape.
Going into this place when forecasts indicate that the 53 ° C will be exceeded does not seem like a good idea. But one does not realize how risky the business is until there is no turning back and, under a scorching sun, the only thing that lies ahead is a road that seems to lead to infinity.
"The hot experience"
The first stop of the route I do, forced, at the information point that is in one of the entrances of the park.
The navigation system of my phone is the one that has stopped working due to lack of coverage and I have no choice but to resort to a traditional map.
The woman who looks after me asks with an inquisitive tone if she intends to go down to the Badwater basin, the deepest and hottest part of the valley.
After reminding me that there is an alert in force for the wave of calories that affects the area and makes sure that it has water conditions in the car, jokes: "Do not worry, if you get lost, in a couple of days we will find your body ".
A couple of faithful accompanied by their daughters observes the conversation amusing. Then, I must have traveled to Death Valley with the intention of camping, although I realized that he had not left the car for more than five minutes, gave up his idea and spent the night in a motel.
"It has been an excellent experience, the hottest experience of our lives," they laugh.
The Badwater basin
With my first objective marked on the map, I travel the 100 kilometers that separate me from the Badwater basin, the park's most emblematic attraction.
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.
The annual rainfall in the basin - whose surface is covered by a thick layer of salt - does not reach 50 millimeters and some years it has not rained at all.
The infernal temperatures that are registered in Badwater, especially in the summer months, have much to do with the geography of the place. When the air at ground level heats up, it begins to ascend, although it is trapped by the surrounding mountains and atmospheric pressure, so it goes down again.
This creates circular hot air currents that make the heat unbearable, even in the shade. According to meteorologists, the highest constant temperatures on Earth are recorded here.
When we get to the basin, I get out of the car, we will have a book in view of the tourists who are taking pictures. Just open the door, a mouthful of scorching air that hits the face. It's close to noon and there's no time to waste.
Despite having my head well covered, I begin to feel the temperature of my sunglasses mount and the sweat runs down my face. A few minutes later my camera, which can get so hot that I can hardly take it, so I decide it's time to go back to the car.
I stop for a moment next to the van of a team of a US television network. They have placed a pan on the ground with a thermometer. The temperature that marks: 153ºF (70 ° C).
Water and more water
The Furnace Creek Visitor Center is about 20 kilometers from the Badwater Basin. It was here that on July 10, 1913 the thermometer reached 56.7 ° C, a temperature which, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), is the highest ever recorded.
For decades that record was held by the Libyan town of Al Azizia, although last year WMO experts ruled that the measurement of 58 ° C that occurred there in September 1922 was the result of human error, so the title of the hottest place on Earth returned to the Valley of Death.
At the entrance of the visitor center a digital thermometer shows a temperature that ranges between 126º F and 128º F (around 53º C), while a group of tourists waits patiently under a relentless sun to be able to take a photograph.
Among them are Felix and Elena, a couple from Madrid who is taking a tour of the US west coast. and to those who have been taken by surprise by the heat wave.
"We had planned to visit the Death Valley, but we did not expect it to be so hot, we came from Las Vegas and you did one more hour once, we carried the car full of water," they tell me.
Carole Wendler, the center's director, explains that, on days like this, what is most worrying is "the safety of tourists and park workers".
"We have made sure that the warning messages we send reach the whole world, the best thing is to get around in a car and take water from reserves."
According to Wendler, "most people follow the recommendations" they give, although every year they have to come to the rescue of some tourist.
"Many do not drink enough water, they do not realize that this place is not only hot, but it is also very dry, so they quickly lose body fluids," he explains.
No domain available
To avoid becoming a victim of the dog days, I shelter in the restaurant of one of the few hotels that works in the area and that is at this time of year.
The waiter who told me that this is his second summer in the Valley of Death. "It's fun," dice. "Most workers come from abroad to spend the summer season here."
Next to the restaurant, there is a pool where there are some things that can be covered 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, even if it turns out to be a bad idea.
A few minutes later, an alert message appears on my phone screen that tells me that the device is too hot and the laptop I am working on shuts down without warning. Technology, which often takes us out of trouble, also does not withstand the temperatures in the Valley of Death.
Armed with a map and several liters of water, taking advantage of my way back to Los Angeles.
Undoubtedly, after this experience, the word caloric has acquired a new dimension.
https://www.google.co.ve/search?tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=UgJ9WtT5FY7vzgLQmqfwBQ&q=el+valle+de+la+muerte&oq=el+valle+de+la+m&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i67k1j0l7j0i67k1j0.280290.281655.0.284472.8.5.0.0.0.0.431.682.2-1j0j1.2.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..6.1.427....0.7NgIjMNrSHA
http://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2013/07/130701_eeuu_valle_muerte_ola_calor_california_jg
