In our recent post, we shared how hot Death Valley, California can be which was at 54.4 degrees Celcius. Some people wonder what life is like in the “hottest place on earth”.
54.4C was the highest temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is still verifying the record but Brandi does not need experts to tell her just how hot it is.
Brandi Stewart is one of just a few hundred people for whom the location often referred to as “the hottest place in the world” is home. She has lived in Death Valley on and off for five years, working in the park’s communication department.
“It feels so hot that one thing it took me a while to get used to is that you can’t actually feel the sweat on your skin because it evaporates so quickly,” she said.
“You might feel it on your clothes, but you don’t actually feel sweat on your skin because it dries so quickly”. she explained.
Ms. Stewart says a lot of time when it is summer is spent inside, but for some people, they choose to head to the mountains where temperatures are slightly cooler.
“Once people do get used to it [the heat], I think we begin to normalise it and then anything below 80F (26.6C) seems chilly.” she said.
When it comes to sleep, people in the town have air conditioning in every house, which keeps their homes cool as long as the power doesn’t go out. This can be an issue when everyone is trying to keep their homes at a comfortable temperature as the mercury soars.
Most of the people who work and live in the national park are located in Furnace Creek, where the recent record temperature was recorded. The town is situated in a long and narrow basin around 280 feet below sea level. It is surrounded by high and steep mountain ranges.
Jason Heser, originally from Minnesota, who lives in Furnace Creek and works on the golf course in Minnesota. It’s the lowest golf course in the world at 214 feet (85 meters) below sea level.
“I’ve been to Iraq twice. If I can take Iraq, I can take Death Valley,” said Jason who also a former military service member.
Starts work on the golf course just before 05;00 and works until 13:00. “They told us once it starts getting hotter like right now, we’ll start working at 04:00. At 04:00, it’s still 100-105F (37.7-40.5C),” he said.
The water used to keep the course up to scratch comes from a natural spring underground. Mr heser is part of a team that helps to keep the course in good condition.
“We’re mowing every day, trimming, raking bunkers.
“We’re picking up trees that have fallen because it’s so dry. They’re so dry with the heat they’re getting heavy and breaking off. A lot of our day is spent picking those up,” he said.
Arrived in October 2019, Mr heser loves his jobs. Planned to stay there for a number of years. The winter makes up for the scorching summer temperatures, he says.
When it’s his time off, he likes to play golf on the course he works so hard to maintain. That means fairly early which starts at 7:00 to beat the heat and get through 18 holes.
“I just love to golf,” he said. “When I got here, the temperature was amazing – shorts, polo, a cold beer, or a cold soda. Now, if you have a beverage it’s warm by the time you get to the green. You’ve got to drink it fast, which makes for interesting golf!”
Source: BBC News