Posted on 07/29/2021 10:21:39 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA – A Tukwila man who went hiking in Death Valley National Park during triple-digit heat was found dead by park rangers on Wednesday.
The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office says family members called The Inn at Death Valley after 68-year-old Douglas Branham missed his flight home and found that he hadn’t checked out.
Family say Branham planned to hike from Badwater to West Side Road, a 12-mile-round trip hike across salt flat. His car was found in the Badwater parking lot.
His cause of death is under investigation, but the sheriff’s office says Branham likely started his hike on Sunday or Monday when temperatures were 118 degrees and humidity was 91%.
Park rangers urge that anyone visiting Death Valley in the summer hike before 10 a.m. and drink plenty of water.
I would place some money on suicide. By knowingly going out in conditions that would get you hyperthermic and dehydrated in a blink of an eye.
Hiking sometimes attracts folks who are not all that stable. I say that as someone who regularly hiked a short section of the Appalachian Trail in North Georgia. In the spring you would see a lot of folks who where starting out from the southern end with the intent to walk the entire route by fall. Some looked organized and fit and probably had a good shot at it. But there were a lot of what I would classify as wannabes who also showed up in the spring, sometimes looking out of shape, other times clearly not having the right equipment (Air Jordans?), but mainly being talkative. Excessively talkative. If you are going to hike a couple thousand miles, get to it! Do not chat with everyone you encounter. I saw this type frequently and classified them as nuts.
Do not know if visitors to Death Valley see the same thing, unusual visitors drawn to the place, yet unprepared. I’ve been there, but took advantage of an air-conditioned rental car to traverse the valley.
Temperature = 118 F
Humidity = 91 %
I don’t believe that. Maybe they meant dew point = 91 F.
The conditions stated will kill you in minutes, in the shade, with a strong breeze blowing. Moisture would be condensing on you like it does on an iced drink in a hot shower. The dew point for 118F, 91% is 115F.
It is named “Death Valley”.
This is a place that should be considered with a bit of circumspection before traveling through.
CC
What are you going to set on fire on a salt flat?
CC
At 68 even normal hot summer days can be a problem for hikers of any age......in Death Valley even more so. I agree going it alone there wasn’t a good decision even for an experienced hiker.
so did he have covid? was he vaccinated or not ? /s
Darwin award winner.
“Because it’s there.”
Yes, I believe you are right.
And 19% humidity at 118 degree air temp would make anyone prefer Hell.
I'm from the desert southwest when I was younger and was used to the 110 to 120 degrees in the heat of summer but not with 91% humidity. Maybe 10 to 30% humidity. A "dry" heat.
I live in Florida now and even 85 to 90 degrees with 90+ percent humidity is a killer.
Without artificial air conditioning to retreat to, your body can't cool itself off fast enough to survive.
Death Valley...what an IDIOT.
I remember reading an article about Houston, Texas and how it would never have developed into a major metropolitan city if it were not for the invention of refrigeration or air conditioning systems.
The combination of heat, and especially the humidity, was so unbearable that no one wanted, or even could, live there. It was insufferable.
But with the invention of central air conditioning systems, entire office buildings could be cooled to make it comfortable to work in during the heat and humidity of the summer. Window units made smaller spaces bearable. As time went on, A/C systems for homes became affordable.
So the article credited the invention of commercial air conditioning with the successful development of Houston as a major city that was comfortable to live and work in, in the summer.
Without it, Houston would have been a swampy, humid backwater town that would never go anywhere.
Playing up the "endurance" aspects.
Even told her only Weicheier and Warmduscher take more than a 12-oz. bottle of water with them!
Regards,
But at least you can't get lost, right?
Regards,
Weather Underground forecast for Wed 8/4:
Maximum temperature 118
Minimum temperature 91
Dew Point 39-44
Humidity 13-19%
I’ve been to Badwater at the start of May. It’s brutally hot even then. This man would have to be insane, if not suicidal, to walk this in July. Death Valley mostly closes up for the summer beginning May 1st for that obvious reason.
Do it because it’s there? Okay but do it smart. Know what the weather is supposed to be. Be prepared with water and your own shade. Let people know you are going and what time you should return. Is there cell phone service there?
If I was going to do it, I would start in the early morning, maybe before dawn. A twelve-mile hike at 3 mph is four hours. That gets you back before noon. It could easily still be over 100 degrees F by the time you finish.
Would I do it? No. Do I understand wanting to do it? Yes. But still, do it smart.
It is not a nice phone call to get that your dad died in Death Valley while out for a wee stretch O de legs.
A possibility that should be looked at in the investigation.
Maybe he had a terminal disease.
It would not be my first choice of exiting this mortal coil but he may have been looking for a way for his family to collect on his life insurance.
https://californiathroughmylens.com/2011/12/badwater-basin-death-valley-lowest-poin/
This article will give you an idea of what it’s like there and the views. I walked about a mile out from the east side, anything further and it becomes monotonous. As I said before, even at the start of May, you just start to bake.
Suicide by hike?
or
Darwin Award?
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