4 ms·

The Amargosa River defies the desert

41 points by fern12 9y ago

kchoudhu 9y ago
This is not too far from where I live in the US -- I had no idea it existed. I guess I know where I'm taking the kiddos when they next want to go hiking.
- zzleeper 9y ago
  Just be sure not to go in the summer, and to read all the tips for hiking in Death Valley and surrounding areas. It gets really hot (but it's amazing!)
  - simcop2387 9y ago
    Really hot doesn't begin to say it. 45c (113f) temperatures are regular occurrence. I think it hit 54c (130f) on the hottest day this past summer. These kinds of temperatures can dehydrate you in a hour or two if you're sweating.
    - kchoudhu 9y ago
      Oh for sure. We live in the middle east for 9 months of the year, and learned pretty quickly that if you're going to do anything in these kinds of temperatures, you do it late at night when temperatures are more reasonable and less likely to kill you!
    - ZephyrP 9y ago
      I've heard the hottest temperatures ever recorded have all happened within Death Valley.
    - abakker 9y ago
      Not to mention killing your car. DV is amazing for many reasons, but one that people ignore to their peril is that there is a TON of elevation gain as you drive through the park. If you enter from the amargosa side, you won't see it much, but if you enter from the west (through Panamint valley) you will drop from ~4000' to 1000', then gain it all back over a 10 mile stretch, and then go back down to -280 feet when you reach the badwater. These passes on hot days can overtax radiators and cause breakdowns. They can also overheat brakes, etc. Having visited several times myself, I encourage October-November as the best timeframe to visit.
      - Angostura 9y ago
        Aren't there signs suggesting that you don't use aircon?
        abakker 9y ago
        Yeah - since that can overload/overheat small engines.
nkoren 9y ago
When I was a small child in the 80s, I visited one of those Death Valley ponds which is the entire habitat for a pupfish species. They were actually pretty amazing. A small piece of foil had fallen into the pond, and they were grabbing it in their mouths, racing from one side of the pond to the other, clearly engaged in some type of play or competition with each other. Kind of mind-blowing to think that this was the whole world for that species. Felt like a sacred place. Sounds like they've had a tough time since then. I hope they make it.
macintux 9y ago
Obligatory (what-if) XKCD: https://what-if.xkcd.com/152/ https://what-if.xkcd.com/152/

41 points by fern12 9y ago

This is not too far from where I live in the US -- I had no idea it existed. I guess I know where I'm taking the kiddos when they next want to go hiking.

zzleeper 9y ago
Just be sure not to go in the summer, and to read all the tips for hiking in Death Valley and surrounding areas. It gets really hot (but it's amazing!)
- simcop2387 9y ago
  Really hot doesn't begin to say it. 45c (113f) temperatures are regular occurrence. I think it hit 54c (130f) on the hottest day this past summer. These kinds of temperatures can dehydrate you in a hour or two if you're sweating.
  - kchoudhu 9y ago
    Oh for sure. We live in the middle east for 9 months of the year, and learned pretty quickly that if you're going to do anything in these kinds of temperatures, you do it late at night when temperatures are more reasonable and less likely to kill you!
  - ZephyrP 9y ago
    I've heard the hottest temperatures ever recorded have all happened within Death Valley.
  - abakker 9y ago
    Not to mention killing your car. DV is amazing for many reasons, but one that people ignore to their peril is that there is a TON of elevation gain as you drive through the park. If you enter from the amargosa side, you won't see it much, but if you enter from the west (through Panamint valley) you will drop from ~4000' to 1000', then gain it all back over a 10 mile stretch, and then go back down to -280 feet when you reach the badwater. These passes on hot days can overtax radiators and cause breakdowns. They can also overheat brakes, etc. Having visited several times myself, I encourage October-November as the best timeframe to visit.
    - Angostura 9y ago
      Aren't there signs suggesting that you don't use aircon?
      - abakker 9y ago
        Yeah - since that can overload/overheat small engines.

nkoren 9y ago

When I was a small child in the 80s, I visited one of those Death Valley ponds which is the entire habitat for a pupfish species. They were actually pretty amazing. A small piece of foil had fallen into the pond, and they were grabbing it in their mouths, racing from one side of the pond to the other, clearly engaged in some type of play or competition with each other. Kind of mind-blowing to think that this was the whole world for that species. Felt like a sacred place. Sounds like they've had a tough time since then. I hope they make it.

macintux 9y ago

Obligatory (what-if) XKCD: https://what-if.xkcd.com/152/ https://what-if.xkcd.com/152/