One man was taken from the shelter by ambulance after suffering from heat-related illness on Thursday. A woman who came seeking water and food “just sat down outside and looked so hot, like she had no energy,” Ms. Castle said.
In Death Valley, the high of 134 degrees recorded in 1913 had been recognized as the record hottest temperature ever recorded there. But a 2016 analysis by Christopher Burt, a weather expert, found that the recording was inconsistent with other regional observations, leading him to dispute whether the record was “possible from a meteorological perspective.”
In any case, the recent sweltering temperatures have prompted their own form of tourism. As the number creeps toward 130, people begin lining up to take photos next to the digital thermometer outside the Furnace Creek visitors center.
Even on Saturday, when morning temperatures were hovering close to 110 degrees, park visitors could be found playing golf, swimming and hiking in the early morning hours.
Ashley Dehetre, 22, and Katelyn Price, 21, descended into Badwater Basin around 9 a.m. with cooling towels around their necks and three liters of water strapped to each of their backs. Their 33-hour road trip from Detroit and the triple-digit temperatures have done little to dampen their spirits, even after a worried phone call from Ms. Price’s mother revealed the temperature back home was 66 degrees.
“This view in itself is so awesome, it’s worth it,” Ms. Dehetre said. “So much better than Michigan.”
Zooming past them on the salt flats was Tyler Lowey, who drove overnight from Los Angeles to celebrate his 25th birthday by running 25 miles at the lowest point in North America. The challenge was part of a yearlong set of adventures he was attempting, including biking across the country from Los Angeles to Miami next month. To prepare, he packed his car with plenty of water, amino acid powders and fresh coconuts, which in his time as a personal chef he has found to be the best to combat heat-related fatigue.
