Motorcyclist dies of suspected heat exposure in Death Valley amid record-setting temperatures

[Rookie tourists]

A motorcyclist died of suspected heat exposure and another was
hospitalized for severe heat illness Saturday amid record temperatures at
Death Valley National Park in California, park officials said.

The motorcyclist who died was not identified or described by age or
gender, and the condition for the patient who was hospitalized was
unavailable.

The Inyo County Coroner Office did not immediately respond to a request
for information.

Four others in the same group of riders were treated at the scene for
"heat stress," National Park Service Ranger Nichole L. Andler said by
email Sunday.

The park service said in a statement Sunday that the six were riding near
Badwater Basin, an area of salt flats in the park that includes the lowest
point in North America.

The area is south of the Furnace Creek Visitor's Center, where the
National Weather Service recorded a high temperature of 128 degrees late
Saturday afternoon, a reading 1 degree a

Science was not working in the riders' favor, the park service indicated.
The temperatures were well above the 99-degree line, over which ambient
air provides little cooling to humans, it said.

Motorcyclists often wear thick, heavy protective gear, making cooling even
more difficult. And helicopters serving as air ambulances that can more
quickly traverse the Mojave Desert's expanse are often grounded when
liftoff becomes difficult in warmer air, which spreads molecules that
favor wider wings or blades and herculean thrust.

“High heat like this can pose real threats to your health,” park
Superintendent Mike Reynolds said in Sunday's statement. “While this is a
very exciting time to experience potential world record setting
temperatures in Death Valley, we encourage visitors to choose their
activities carefully."

The park, under an "extreme summer heat" alert, advises visitors to avoid
hiking after 10 a.m. and to be prepared for life-threatening heat by being
vigilant about clothing, shade and water intake. The park service also
warns that cellphone reception is often nonexistent in Death Valley.

The National Weather Service had forecast record heat for Death Valley,
nearly through midweek, as it roasts under a high pressure dome that's
heating up much of the West.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/motorcyclist-dies-suspected-heat-
exposure-death-valley-rcna160636

[unknown]

Post by Rookie tourists
A motorcyclist died of suspected heat exposure and another was
hospitalized for severe heat illness Saturday amid record
temperatures at Death Valley National Park in California, park
officials said.

<snip remainder of sensational Park Service PSA />

It is with great pleasure that I touch my keyboard to respond to an
on-topic Reeky post. It has been a coon's age since the last
opportunity. I'm taking liberties with trimming the cross-posting
though.

This news report is similar to the grisly-bear-exploitation PSAs that
the U.S. Park Service pushes to every visitor in the western venues:
"Don't get et!" The omnipresence of such messages does little to
discourage tourists from being stupid and may even popularize the
danger and thus the thrill. Certainly these announcements magnify the
actual risks in the Public's and the Media's eyes beyond the actuarial
reality, which is the opposite of "public service."

... so it is, too, with riding in hot weather. Big Media and Big
Government are inclined to hype the risks to serve their anti-consumer
agendas. This is not to dismiss the risks — merely to point out that
you need to hear these messages from your riding buddies, not Big
Brother.

Yes. Humidity is a factor in most areas (not in Death Valley). At
over 60% humidity your perspiration is considerably less effective,
maintaining body temperature.

Yes. Temperatures approaching blood-warm pose grave obstacles to body
cooling.

Yes. You absorb heat from the sun — particularly wearing dark clothing
— and you don't shed that heat.

Yes. Going faster won't cool you. It will heat you up. Not smart!

Yes. You get crazy in the heat.

Been there! Approached an intersection in open country. Had the
right-of-way. Came to a full stop to the puzzlement of the cars
behind me. On reflection could not figure out why I had stopped.

Just like a boiled frog, you don't feel how hot you are, and, if you
did, you wouldn't care. At this point, low humidity does not help.
In the same way that you don't feel perspiration taking place in a dry
wind, you don't feel how much more heat the wind brings than it takes
away. Your perception gets warped before you realize it's happening.

Take these steps to avoid heat-related illness: keep tabs on others,
follow their advice, stop riding in hot weather, get out of the sun,
get into shade and air conditioning (if possible), push cool fluids,
rest, take the afternoon off, relax with pie à la mode.

I'm sure most people do these things. The ones who don't are the ones
you year about on the Internet.