All language subtitles for Into.Death.Valley.with.Nick.Knowles.S01E01.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

NICK: 'Welcome to Death Valley,
the hottest place on Earth.

'I'm here to pit myself
against the elements.'

I've got a banging headache.
Yeah, people die out here.

'There'll be some highs...'
There you go.

Yay-ay-ay-hav!

'..And some shockers.'

You can handle the gopher snake
right there. He's a very sweet boy.

'But despite the dangers...'

Oh. Oh, that's just ridiculous.

I'm totally drained by that.
I was only out there a few hours.

'..|'ll discover
there's so much more here

'than scorching wilderness.'

Oh, it's a bobcat track.
You can't go eating bobcats!

'Stories of incredible
human endeavour...'

Wow, I was not expecting this.

'..Magical vistas...'

Oh, my gosh!

'..And jaw-dropping landscapes...'

Whoa, slow down!

Was that good?

'..This is like no other place
on Earth.'

Close up, it's just an ugly mess,

but en masse,
that ugly somehow becomes beautiful.

'What have I let myself in for?'

This is Death Valley.

In 1913, they recorded a temperature
of 134 Fahrenheit,

that's 57 degrees Celsius,

making it officially
the hottest place on Earth.

It is one of the most inhospitable
environments on the planet.

A place where you'd think
nothing can survive

and no-one could live,

but... I'm heading straight out
into the heart of it.

Let it rip!

'This time, in the sweltering heat,

'I go one-on-one with Death Valley's
epic landscape...'

This is great!
NICK LAUGHS

'..learn the secrets of survival
in the hottest place on Earth...'

That's it. Oh, oh!

Blow gently, blow gently.
There you go.

'..And discover a surprise
in the heart of this arid desert.'

We just utilise the water
from our two swimming pools.

That's what irrigates
this entire property.

Is that right?
Yeah.

'Death Valley,
which spans California and Nevada,

'lies in the Mojave Desert,

'and it's a two-hour drive
from the bright lights of Las Vegas.

'It's a vast 5,000 square miles
of empty wilderness,

'and most of it
is a protected national park.

'I'm driving across
this scorching, barren landscape.

'My journey will start
at Dumont Dunes

'at the southern edge of the park.

'From there, I'll travel 100 miles
north to Salt Creek Trail,

'taking in Zabriskie Point
and Furnace Creek along the way.'

RADIO: 'This iS KNPR.

'Thanks very much for joining us
this afternoon.

'I'm Dave Becker.

'All week long,
we have had excessive heat warnings

'for the entire region,

'and nowhere
has that been the case more

'than around Death Valley.'

'In the summer, the mercury
regularly hits 118 Fahrenheit,

'the high 40s Celsius.

'And it's too hot to be outside for
more than a few minutes at a time.

'Death Valley
may be a sparse landscape,

'but it provides plenty
of opportunities for recreation.'

This may well be
one of the hottest, driest,

most testing places on Earth,

but around a million people
come here each year

to hike and to see the place.

But also, for some,
it's a playground.

The park itself is protected,
but right on the edge,

there's a chance
to try an adrenaline sport.

I'm not gonna pass up
a chance like that.

'Welcome to the Dumont sand dunes

'at the southernmost tip
of Death Valley.

'Formed 18,000 years ago,

'they are a mecca
for dune buggy riders.

'On a busy weekend,
up to 15,000 of them

'tear around these dunes
in the sweltering heat.

'Today, I've been promised a go,

'and what could be a better
introduction to Death Valley?

'I'm meeting expert driver
Shane Trittler.'

Shane.
Nick!

How are you doing?
It's a pleasure.

A great place to meet you.

I'm looking forward to this
enormously.

Massive dunes in the background.
Yeah, it's huge.

'A mile wide and four miles long,

'this is challenging terrain
without any marked course or route.

'I'm an experienced driver,

'but I've never driven
one of these before.

'In the baking heat, too.'

Any advice you've got for me
about how I go about doing this?

Just be careful
coming over these peaks,

that they're not a drop-off
on the other side.

OK. What do I do?

Foot on the brake,
start the engine?

Foot on the brake, start it up.
ENGINE STARTS

No emergency brake.
It's an automatic.

That's the shift pattern -
park, reverse.

Where do I go? Where do I go?
All the way in high.

We're ready to go?
Let it rip!

I think straight across here,
all right? OK.

'This is where I get to live out
my Mad Max fantasies.'

Whoop, whoop, whoop!

This is great!
Yeah!

'From here, the largest dune,

'the 450-foot tall
Competition Hill, looks huge.

'And as the only other vehicle
in sight leaves the area...

'..Shane guides me
to my first challenge.'

Go this way
and then across that top.

'A banked dune
with incredibly steep sides.'

We're gonna try and do
the wall of death here.

Now, when you start losing speed,
turn down.

All right. Nice!
Thank you.

'Having beaten the wall of death,

'it's time to take on
Competition Hill.

'Unfortunately, in my excitement...'

Woo-hoo-hoo!

NICK GIGGLES

'..|'ve forgotten Shane's warning
about steep drop-offs.'

Man, whoa!

'And we're now teetering
on top of a peak.'

jeez Louise! How was that?
Wow!

Man!
Shall I back it off?

ENGINE REVS

Sure. We're stuck.

REVVING CONTINUES

'This could be a disaster.'

We're almost good.
Let me see if I can get us out.

That's a little bit unexpected.
I feel a bit foolish now.

Let me clig some of this out.

We're pretty darn close.

'There's no help for miles.

'And the temperature's soaring.'

OK, do you wanna hop back in
and we'll go for it? All right.

Straight down, right?
Yeah.

'And finally, we're back on track.'

Whoa!

Whoa!

'It turns out that the trick is
to work with the hill,

'not against it.'

Oh, no! Good job, good job!

Push down.

Woo-hoo-hoo! This is great!
Yeah!

This is, like, so much fun.

Whoa!

'Although, I'm not sure Shane is
enjoying it quite as much as I am.'

Whoa, slow down!

Whoa!

Was that good?

'One thing's for sure...'
Woo-hoo-hoo!

'It's given me an exhilarating intro
to this challenging landscape.'

You've got it!
NICK LAUGHS

Shane, that was amazing.

Well, don't judge it
by my screaming and crying.

I mean, man, you went for it.
That was fun.

It gets your heart going,
doesn't it?

It does. It's pretty cool.
Are you a man hug kind of person?

Cos I feel like I want a hug.

Thank you very much. That was...
That was great, man.

That was amazing.

'Death Valley
attracts adventure seekers,

'but I'm about to find out
that this blistering heat

'is not to be taken lightly.

'It really is life-threatening.'

Physically, it's the lowest point
I've ever been at in my life.

My body literally
just had nothing left to give.

'Here in Death Valley,

'I've had the time of my life
exploring the Dumont Dunes.

'But this hasn't always been
a place of fun,

'and the clue is in the name.'

RADIO: 'Death Valley temperatures
are expected to top out

'around 125 degrees,

'with overnight lows
of just under 100.'

'Death Valley was named in 1849
by a group of pioneers

'who took an ill-fated shortcut
through the valley

'on their way to the gold fields
of California.

'This group of men, women,
children and cattle

'were lost in the roasting heat
for 18 weeks -

'starving, dehydrated and desperate.

'When they eventually found
their way out,

'legend has it that they called,
"Goodbye, Death Valley."

'And the name has stuck.

'With its extreme weather
and lack of mobile phone signal,

'it's still a treacherous place.

'Over the last decade,
41 people have died here.'

I'm heading out
into the very hot, dry,

challenging part of Death Valley.

And you can't just blunder out
into it,

you have to know what you're doing.

So I'm meeting a guy
who walks across it,

with only taking
a few implements, no supplies.

If he doesn't know, no-one does.

'I'm gonna challenge myself
by trekking with him in the heat

'and learn some life-saving
survival tricks along the way.

'My guide is survival expert
Tom Coyne.'

Welcome!
How are you, sir?

Good. Good to see you.
Glad you could make it out.

What an amazing place!

It's like the surface of the moon.
It really is.

You could film
a little moon landing project here.

Some might say they did.
THEY LAUGH

I've been looking forward to
meeting you.

You have walked
all across Death Valley,

despite how dangerous it is,
without any supplies.

Let's start with why.

My small business
is teaching people survival, right?

So I wanted to demonstrate

that if you were gonna
take a lesson like this,

that you want to come to me.

'Tom trekked 135 miles
across the valley in the summer,

'in temperatures
exceeding 45 degrees Celsius.

'Incredibly,
he brought no food or water,

'just some basic bits of kit.'

OK, I want to do
some of this trek with you.

I'm not gonna do what you did,
so what to I need to take with me?

This is your kit right here.
This has about everything you need.

It doesn't feel very heavy.
Not much in there.

There's... OK, so...

Better than a hat?
Yeah.

So, if you don't have
a big enough brim,

it's not gonna protect your neck.

Also, with these hot winds,

we can wet these
and wrap your water bottles in it

and help them stay cool,

cos a water bottle
like this can heat up

to where it's too hot
to drink in the sun.

OK, so I'll wear that
cos I've got a hat, so that's good.

It's like there's
practically nothing else in here.

Let's have a look.
Nothing in that pouch.

I do have two things -
a piece of string

so we can improvise shade with this
or make what we call friction fire.

Ancl then on this side,
I got a special present for you.

WOW!

Yeah, that's a knife.
Yeah.

So this is kind of
an all-in-one knife.

We could carve, chop, split,
do all kinds of things with it.

OK, that's alll need, is it?
Yeah.

Believe it or not,
this landscape will provide.

All right, then. Which way?
Straight through these mountains.

'Tom's survival on his trek
was down to regular intake of water.

'He worked out that he would lose
two litres an hour in sweat,

'so he mapped out his journey
accordingly,

'making sure
he got to the waterholes

'in time for another drink.

'But surprisingly,
in this harsh environment,

'there is a whole array
of thriving wildlife.

'It's home to over 400 species
of heat-adapted animals.'

Oh.

So, here, goes to show
how much life can be in a desert.

As soon as you hit a little bit
of water, this is a bobcat track.

How do you know it's a bobcat?

So, easiest way
to tell cat versus dog,

our predatory cats,
they'll have retractable claws,

whereas the clogs
don't have retractable claws.

So you see,
he was walking in the mud here.

So if it was a dog, there'd be
very clear tracks from the claws.

But here,
there's no tracks from the claws.

So some bobcat's
wandered through here at some stage?

Oh, yeah, definitely.

Are they ever problem for humans?
No, no.

Not worried about them at all.
In fact, bobcat tastes pretty good.

Oh, I tell you,
you can't go eating bobcats!

I... mean, technically, you can.

Yeah, I know.

If you're desperate
and you're dying, I suppose,

but we're not encouraging people
to eat bobcats.

We're not encouraging people
to eat bobcats.

It's amazing.
For what appears a dead landscape,

in amongst it, you get
these little patches of greenery,

where you can hear water.
And all of a sudden, there's life.

Yeah. Well, it's just like
what they say

when they're searching round
other planets, right?

Where there's water, there's life.

These green belts, like this,

this is how we find water
in the desert.

So, this is a sedge.

And this is
where it houses the seed.

'Thomas shows me one way to
survive here, by foraging plants.'

Go ahead, take these.
This breaks up the chaff.

Then you just lightly blow on that.

Ancl then you see
all those seeds left behind.

That's difficult,
I blew most of them away.

There you go,
that's just a few seconds.

So if you spend
about a half-hour or so,

you can get big handfuls
of this stuff.

It's like a nice trail mix,
real crunchy.

No flavour as such to it, is there?

Not really. Sometimes that's good
with wild food. Right?

Could be worse.
Yeah, it could be a lot worse.

'He has another foraged delicacy
for me to try...'

So, yum, that looks beautiful (!)

'..Called a wild cattail.'

Nice, high-quality starch.
Almost like celery.

So, just bite it and chew it?
Yeah, go for it.

That's not bad.
It's not bad at all, right?

There is a flavour in there
somewhere.

It is a bit celery, isn't it?
Yeah, a little bit.

'Something tells me
my stomach will be rumbling later.

'But I am impressed.

'There's food here
if you know where to look.

'We find a spot for me to camp
for the night,

'out of the heat of the sun.'

What sort of state were you in

by the time
you'd finished your adventure?

We ll, physically,

it's the lowest point
I've ever been at in my life.

I'd never experienced
this kind of physical fatigue

that I experienced doing this
in my life.

My last two miles took me
about six hours on foot to complete.

My body literally just
had about nothing left to give.

Yeah, I can see that.

I think that is pretty much...
last clip.

'As the day draws to a close,
Tom is going to teach me

'the most basic survival skill
of them all - how to make a fire,

'by literally
rubbing two sticks together.

'This is notoriously tricky,
and the chance of me

'mastering this one
are pretty remote.'

All right,
so I'm gonna carve the drill.

What I'm looking for is
the hardest piece of wood possible

to drill through the softest piece
possible and still give resistance.

I'm gonna trim it
with my blade here.

'But at least I get to use my knife.

'Thomas has made a bow drill
using the string from our kit,

'to create that all-important
friction.'

Keep it straight,
keep it straight.

There you go.
Don't press down too hard.

Short stroke, short stroke.

'I'm not sure this is gonna work.'

There you go, just breathe
and let that happen.

'But then...'
Breathe.

'..With a bit of downward pressure
and elbow grease,

'I managed to create some smoke.'

Full stroke. Seven, six...

Stop, stop. Now just let it carry.

'And then, unbelievably,
a tiny magical ember.'

There you go.

Now we're gonna fire it.
Let's get it onto here.

'Then of flame! It's a flame!'

Yeah, just plop it right out.

There we go.

Yay-ay-ay-hav!

Sorry, very un-English of me to
do that, but nonetheless...

Ha-hay!
HE CH UCKLES

I made fire properly.

I gotta admit, it's a good feeling
for me, too, as a teacher.

I know how good I could do it.

But seeing someone like you do it
on like your first try like that,

that's exceptional.
It's a great feeling, to...

Here we are in the wilderness,
without a lighter

or any other usual modern things,

and, you know, there's heat
and the ability to cook.

Tom, I really appreciate
you spending time with me

and teaching me these skills.

Erm, I think it's...

I think it's one of my favourite
things I've ever done.

Oh. Awesome.

Thanks for having me, brother.
Thank you so much. Amazing.

'Thomas is off home to bed,

'leaving me to continue
the next leg of my journey alone.

'I was settling down to my
first night in the wilderness.'

Wow, what a day.

You know... crossing Death Valley
on foot is an ordeal

whether you're an early pioneer
or a modern-day survivalist.

But spending the day
with Tom today...

...has made me realise that...

...you've got everything
you need here, you can survive.

And it's about the attitude
you take into it.

As someone once said,

the difference between an ordeal
and an adventure is attitude.

And he has amazing attitude.
And I've had a great adventure.

'Next on my journey,
the remoteness of this epic valley

'reveals something
that's out of this world.'

Go towards the light, Nick.

Oh, my gosh.
There it is, with the rings!

See the rings?
That's outrageously good.

'As the sun comes up
over Death Valley,

'I'm feeling
surprisingly well rested

'after my night under canvas.'

I had a great night's sleep
cos it doesn't really get cold

in the desert here.
I was nice and toasty.

And so I need to prepare
for the day now.

It's an electric car,
so, interestingly,

there's space in the bonnet.

There's no engine
where you'd expect to find it.

I'm supposed to drink
that much water a day,

but to make sure
I'm bringing double,

and I've already got
twice the amount in there as well,

to be sure. I know the car
has got plenty of charge,

I know where all the charge points
are around Death Valley.

So I'm all set
and ready for the day.

Just tidy myself up a bit.
I'm ready to go.

RADIO: 'This is KNPR at knpr.org.

'If you're headed to Death Valley,
stay cool and drink a lot of water.'

'There's much more to Death Valley
than just desert.

'It's full of natural wonders.

'From sand dunes... to salt flats.

'Colourful rock formations.

'Mountain peaks and craters.

'Everywhere you look,
there's a stunning vista,

'but I'm on my way
to one that tops them all,

'and it's a very popular spot
for visitors.'

I've come up off the valley floor
to get a high point view

of Death Valley,
and it's a great spot, this.

Zabriskie Point, it's called,
and people come from far and wide

early in the morning
and late in the evening,

when the sun's low,
because the way the shadows fall

across the unusual rock formations
is absolutely beautiful.

Death Valley
is 280 feet below sea level,

the lowest point
in mainland America.

It was formed
when the two mountain ranges

that run alongside the valley
grew up and separated,

so the base of the valley
dropped down.

Now, 10,000 years ago, there was
actually an inland lake here

that was 100 miles long
and 600 feet deep.

But, with the temperatures,
that's all evaporated away

to leave salt all the way along
the bottom of the valley.

It's very unique.

The great thing about being up here
at this time of day,

if you listen...

...practically no noise.

There are people around,
but they're all staring at the view.

I think
it's taken their breath away.

'Death Valley attracts
thousands of people each year

'who come to camp and hike
in the arid terrain.

'But with temperatures
regularly exceeding 104 Fahrenheit,

'or 40 degrees Celsius,
in the middle of the day,

'they have to set off early.

'My next stop is meeting a group
who have set themselves

'a special mission.'

Despite the extreme conditions,
or perhaps because of them,

Death Valley gets around
a million visitors a year.

Some of them take it upon themselves
to keep the landscape

in pristine condition.

I'm off to meet the DBRC,

who are
the Desert Balloon Recovery Crew.

And I'm not talking
hot-air balloons.

Morning. Hey, how you doing?
Pleasure.

Nice to meet you.
Thanks for being here.

This is the crew, is it?
It is, it is.

Hello, crew.
ALL: Morning.

How we doing?
Doing well, thank you.

So, explain to me
exactly what it is you do.

We are just a bunch
of happy campers, basically.

We come to the desert
because we love the desert.

We explore the desert and we pick up
balloons while we're out here.

Mylar balloons that end up
in the desert from who knows where.

We like to display 'em
once we get out here.

These aren't the ones
you picked up on this trip?

This trip, yes.
This trip? Absolutely.

We've been out for
a little over two weeks right now.

Where are they all coming from,
then? We don't know.

We assume they're coming from
down south, LA, maybe Vegas.

We don't know. There's not really
any way to track them at this point.

So, listen, can I come out

and do a bit of balloon chasing
with you? We should.

Yeah?
Absolutely.

'These stray balloons
pose a risk to wildlife,

'as well as spoiling the beauty
of the landscape.

'Jeff and his crack team
of balloon hunters

'clearly love this extreme terrain.'

People say to us, "Why do you
wanna go to Death Valley?"

I tell 'em, "Don't come.

"I'm going to enjoy it myself
out here.

"You wouldn't like it."
Keep it to yourself.

It's gorgeous.
It's like nowhere else.

Tell me about the club
and how it formed.

I was on a hike, and along the hike,
I found a balloon on the ground,

and I was walking
with one of the rangers,

and she told me that the balloons
are a pretty big problem

in the national park, and they do
what they can to pick 'em up.

Just asked if, you know,

other people getting involved
would be a great thing.

Then one clay, we thought,
let's get serious about this.

So we came up with a goofy name,
the Desert Balloon Recovery Crew.

'Soon enough, we spot something
glinting in the blazing sun.'

Over there, what's that?

'So far on this trip,
the crew have found 91 balloons.

'Could this be their 92nd?'

Got a balloon. Got a balloon.

I'm excited - my first balloon.

Is it your first balloon?

Yeah.
It's our 92nd.

Write 92 on there.

Would you take a photo of me
with my first ever balloon?

Here we go. First one.

Got it.

It's only a tiddler,
but it's a start, isn't it?

That was my first balloon.
Congratulations.

'This mission is also about safety.

'In the past, stray balloons
have got trapped in power lines

'and caused fires.'

CHATTER OVER RADIO

Tim called. We got a balloon.
OK.

Oh, that way? OK.
Remember what number it was?

This will be 93, won't it?

'Our intrepid squad soon
find another wayward balloon.

'And it's really brought out
my competitive streak.'

Did he get a balloon?

I missed out again.
How did I miss it?

Copy that. You got a balloon?

That's a good spot,
cos that's wedged.

Buried in there.

Who wants to put their hand in that?
Oh, that's spiky.

I gotta tell you guys,
that came as a real surprise to me,

how much I cared and how annoyed
I was that I didn't spot one

before you guys did.

THEY CHUCKLE

Well, we get a trained eye,
we've been doing it for years.

I think that's great.
I think, you know,

the fact that you guys
love the desert so much,

that you kind of look after it.

What you do, I think,
is really important for the park.

A lot of fun, too.

'The natural beauty of the park
continues to impress.

'Even after the sun's gone down.

'Death Valley holds the record
as the hottest place in the world.

'And thanks to its remote location,
it's also one of the darkest

'and offers incredible views
of the night sky.

'People come from far and wide
to stargaze

'and try to catch sight of a planet.

'I wonder if
I'll get lucky tonight.'

Nick. Welcome.

'Matthew Lamar, a park ranger
and keen astronomer,

'is here to help me.'

I love the night sky,

but I know very little about
what I'm looking at.

Excellent. Well, I'm here to help.

So, we've got a telescope
set up right now, looking at Saturn.

So if you want, you can take a look.
Really?

This is the object that probably
impresses the most people

that come here to Death Valley.
Sorry.

Hat's getting in the way.
So, how do I do this?

Start about maybe six inches away.
Yeah. Find the light. Yeah.

Once you find that light,
start moving towards it.

Go towards the light, Nick.

NICK CH UCKLES

Oh, my gosh!

There it is, with the rings.
See the rings?

That's outrageously good.

Your teachers your whole life
told you that Saturn had rings,

and now you've got proof.

That's incredible.
I can actually see the gap

between the rings and the planet.
Yeah.

Yeah.

That's ridiculous,
that you can see that clearly.

I've never even seen Saturn,
you know,

where Saturn was in the sky,
let alone seen it that clearly.

Oh, my gosh, that's incredible.

This is the reaction we're
looking for, here at Death Valley.

When I came 30 years ago, I remember
somebody showing me the night sky

and being so surprised
because you saw so much light,

you didn't see dark.

It was that impressive.
A blanket of stars.

It is, absolutely.

Um, it's something that most of us

don't experience
in our everyday life.

You know,
if you came here 150 years ago,

you wouldn't be that impressed,

because you could have seen
that in your backyard.

Nowadays,
that's not the case any more,

and so you have to go to places like
Death Valley, and other dark places.

That's all about light pollution,
right, we produce on the planet?

It is, yeah.
99% of people in the United States

are impacted by some form
of light pollution.

And, actually,
even here in Death Valley,

one of the darkest places
in the United States,

we're still impacted, actually,
by the light pollution from Vegas.

You can kind of make it out
over those mountains, actually,

behind me on the eastern side.

You can see the light bubble
of Vegas, just over there.

That's incredible, isn't it,
that it has that much impact?

I cannot believe
what I'm seeing there.

That's absolutely extraordinary.

It looks like
an artist's impression.

It almost looks fake,
it almost looks fake. Yeah.

That's amazing.
So, what other things can you see

with your naked eye that you
wouldn't be able to see elsewhere?

Some of the stars that you look at,
when you see the stars, you know,

from far, far away, is it true

that some of those places you're
looking at don't exist any more?

Potentially, potentially.

So, we've actually got
a couple of stars right above us.

So we have Altair right there,
about 17 light years away.

So that means that light started
travelling to us 17 years ago

and it just got to us right now,

those photons
that are hitting your eyes.

So, what were you doing
17 years ago?

Er, this.

HE LAUGHS
This!

I was travelling the world
and looking up at the night sky.

'And I'm lucky enough to see
another incredible sight.'

So, can we look atjupiter as well?

We sure can.
Let me get it set up for ya.

OK.
WHIRRING

That's kind of cool.
So, you just give it the coordinates

and it knows where it is
on the planet? Exactly.

It can track
everything in the night sky

that we want to look at.
Makes it easy.

A great bit of kit, this.

All right, let me check
and make sure that's all centred in.

Very tense, waiting to find out
whether we've actually gotjupiter.

Is it there?
It is there.

So, if you look in,
you'll see Jupiter.

Looking for the light.
Exactly.

That's not... That can't be.

It's pretty cool.
I can see stripes.

Yes, you can see
the layering of the gas giant.

That's incredible.
And it's so bright.

Oh, my gosh.

You know,
we can show people galaxies

that are millions
of light years away,

we can show them nebula,
the birthplace of stars,

supernovas, where stars died,

but nothing gets a reaction
quite like the planets.

Well, I can understand
why they come here,

and actually,
I would recommend it to anybody.

It's given me a completely different
understanding of the night sky.

Thank you very much.
Of course. It's...

It's been a real experience.
Thank you for coming.

'Death Valley is the driest place
in North America,

'but I'm about to find something
astonishing at its heart.'

Oh, ho-ho!

'The next stop on my journey
through Death Valley

'is officially the hottest spot
in the hottest place on Earth.

'The aptly named Furnace Creek

'is where that record-breaking
temperature of 57 degrees Celsius

'was recorded back in 1913.

'That was before the hotel
was built here.

'Few would expect the hottest place
on Earth to be full of life.

'But, incredibly, thanks to
a natural spring that flows down

'from a snowy mountain range
in Nevada,

'Furnace Creek
is an oasis in the desert.'

'A million gallons of water
come up from underground every day.'

'And there's a luxury resort here,

'with swimming pools
fed by the spring.'

'Furnace Creek
was first discovered in 1849

'by those stranded pioneers
lost in the valley.

'A ranch was built on the site,

'and in the 1930s,
thanks to clever irrigation,

'it was expanded into a hotel.'

'And the first tourists
came to Death Valley,

'and kept coming.

'These days,
there's another addition -

'one of the most unlikely
golf courses on the planet.'

This is Furnace Creek Golf Course,

one of the most difficult courses
in America

because of its low altitude,
which is kind of weird, isn't it?

And I've got up really, really early

because you can't play
in the middle of the day.

The terrible shirt?
That's just the golfing tradition.

You have to wear one of these.

'I'm here soon after sunrise,
before it gets too hot,

'to meet Don For hope,

'who holds the secret to keeping
a golf course green in a desert.'

So, guys mow the greens
every morning?

Every morning. Yes, sir.

So it's an 18-hole course?
Yes, sir, it is.

It's the world's lowest golf course,
218 feet below sea level.

Wow. And how is it being
green keeper of a place like this?

It's challenging.

Um, winters, our grass does
go dormant for about three months,

so once our ground temperature drops
from 50 or lower,

then my grass turns yellow.

But then, in the winter,
from between 40 and 30,

to 130 in summer.
Wow, yeah, that's...

So we have about 110 degree influx
between winter and summer.

I like the way you say "my grass".
Oh, yeah. It's your grass?

This is your baby.
Oh, yeah. Pretty much.

'There's been a golf course
at Furnace Creek since 1927,

'when local date farmers
built a three-hole course

'as a way to pass the time.

'Since then,
it's been expanded and redesigned,

'and has become world-famous
for its difficult conditions,

'tempting 7,000 golfers a year
to take on the challenge.'

'And the reason it's so lush

'is down to some ingenious reuse
of water.'

So I presume,
if you didn't have springs,

then you wouldn't be able to have
a golf course in the desert?

Oh, yeah. Exactly.

Where does
the water come from, then?

We just utilise the water
from our two swimming pools,

the one at the end
and the one at the ranch.

That's what irrigates
this entire property. Yeah.

That's really not wasting water
at all, then, is it?

Oh, no. We try to conserve
and then reuse what we can,

and as much as we can.

'Sweltering temperatures
and low altitude

'are not the only challenges
facing golfers on this course.'

Right, then.
Yes, sir.

I've got to ask you about this wind,
cos I've actually noticed,

first thing in the morning
and last thing at night,

you get really howling wind here.

We do. And sometimes,
it switches direction,

so in an hour, you'll have it
blowing from the south,

and then another hour later,

it'll switch
and blow from the north.

What's that about, then?

It's just the way
our Valley's shaped.

Just sometimes,
we get weird winds out here.

'Don's expert knowledge
of Death Valley goes way back.'

You're Timbisha Shoshone.
Am I saying that right?

Timbisha Shoshone. Yeah!

Which is actually the people
that have been...

I've been talking about the pioneers
coming across here 150 years ago.

Oh, yeah.
But you've...

We've been here
for thousands of years. Yeah.

'Archaeological records suggest that
people have lived in Death Valley

'for at least 10,000 years.'

'And the Timbisha Shoshone tribe
have inhabited the area

'for over a thousand years.

'Their extensive
knowledge of the valley

'enabling them to thrive.'

Historically,
we were somewhat nomadic,

so during the summer months,

we would stay
in the higher elevations.

Then we'd come back in winter,
once it would start snowing.

We'd do all of our cultivating
and harvesting of pine nuts

and different vegetation,
desert squash, get our deer,

and then we'd come back here
in the winter.

So, in summer,
it's just too hot to be here.

So a lot of times, we would leave.

So you still have great pride.

I mean, to actually be
part of this area for far longer...

And your history, your ancestry,
goes way back

before the pioneers
trudged across here.

Oh, yeah.
It's just part of our being.

You know, we have a lot of respect
for this valley,

and we're culturally tied
to this valley.

You know, we feel like
we're caretakers of this area,

so we try to preserve

as much of the culture and history
of this area,

and educate those
that come out and visit,

so they have a better understanding,
from our perspective,

what it's like to be Native American
in such an arid environment.

Great, too, that you actually
come from round here

and, actually, you get the key job
on the golf course.

That's pretty much
the reason why I did.

I was the only one
crazy enough to stay.

NICK LAUGHS

'Finally, Don has a job for me,
and it's quite an important one.'

Cool. So, what we doing here?

You're gonna change a cup.

OK. So, I'll grab the flag?
Yes, sir.

All right,
let's find a nice, clean spot.

Are you feeling mean today?
That's it, that's it.

Maybe I'll put it
over here to the right.

So, the thing is,
where you put the cup,

the hole, basically makes it...

You can make it really,
really difficult for the golfer.

You can put it near the edge,

you can put it near a bunker,
you can put it...

You could really throw
some doozies out there that'll...

Mess 'em up.
HE LAUGHS

Then I'll pull it straight out,
stick it in my little box.

And the important thing
is to keep this. Yeah.

Because this is gonna go and fill in
the hole over there. Exactly.

Want me to grab the sleeve
out of the other one? Yeah.

There you go.

Then I'll put my original core
in first.

Can I set this cup in the new hole?
Sure.

Just use a cup setter.
Right.

There you go.

Perfect.

'With the course ready for the day
and the temperature rising,

'I meet the club's PGA golf pro,
Jonathan Skaggs,

'to see just how tough
it is to play.'

Hey.
Hello.

How you doing?
I'm doing good.

What makes this course so difficult?

Well, being below sea level,

compared to most people play it
at sea level or above,

the ball doesn't go as far.
Below sea level, the air is denser.

'I'm ready for the challenge.'

That's a good-looking shot.

Right.

I'm gonna aim a lot left
because of my slice.

I can tell you've played some golf.

Not...
NICK CHUCKLES

Oh, ho-ho!

I got a bit lucky there.

'With the heat intensifying

'and the low altitude
slowing us down,

'we are both struggling
to cover much distance.'

Looks like neither one of us
made it to the 150 yard marker.

So that's what you mean
about it not travelling as far?

Even the driver,
the ball doesn't roll as much.

We have a little bit
of wind in our face,

so we can use that
as a little bit of an excuse.

'Despite the sweltering weather,

'lower air density
reducing the speed of my ball,

'and the wind blowing it off course,

'it's a stunning place
to play a round of golf.'

People love to say they've played
the lowest golf course in the world.

And look at the scenery.
I mean, you know, the mountains...

It is a beautiful place, isn't it?
Yeah, it sure is.

That's a nice one.

'As we finish our game,
it's hard to believe

'that this gloriously green
golf course

'was once inhospitable desert.'

Oh, ho-ho-ho!

I think I'll pick this one up
for you.

That's a gimme, is it?
That's a gimme.

Thank you very much.
Hey, listen, thank you so much.

You're welcome.
What a great place this is. Amazing.

'And a fantastic end to
the first half of my adventure here.

'But there's
more epic challenges ahead.

'Next time, I meet

'some of Death Valley's
most dangerous residents...'

Might draw a trickle of blood
if he decides to bite you.

'..Suffer heat stroke...'

HE SIGHS

That's just ridiculous.

Thank you very much.

'..Follow in the footsteps
of pioneers

'who took a near-fatal shortcut...'

That's not a river, by the way.
That's baked salt.

'..And discover for myself
why they call it Death Valley.'

I've got a banging headache.
People die out here.