If you were planning on going hiking throughout the Grand Canyon, here's a warning: your shoes might actually melt off.
The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning pegged to the inner parts of the canyon, which are below 4,000 feet. As a result of the extremely high temperatures, the park's staff is advising visitors to be mindful of their footwear, as they've been noticing soles actually separating from the rest of a shoe.
Other offered tips include thinking twice about bringing pets along as "the asphalt on the trails can become too hot for paws," avoiding a hike down the canyon between 10am and 4pm (the hottest hours of the day) and, of course, drinking loads of water.
Grand Canyon is an unforgiving environment. The heat inside the canyon can cause shoes to come apart, and heavy hiking boots can trap sweat and lead to painful blisters. Before setting off on a hike, understand the limitations of yourself and your gear. https://t.co/PLebJv4uTz pic.twitter.com/fvB4DgHcl2
— Grand Canyon NPS (@GrandCanyonNPS) June 22, 2020
In addition to plenty of useful suggestions, website users are treated to a graphic depicting the average temperatures recorded in the inner canyon throughout the year. According to park services, said temperatures reach highs of 106 degrees in July and 103 degrees in August, on average.
Fun fact you might not have known about: the deeper you head into the canyon, the hotter it gets. That's thanks to a process called adiabatic heating: as the air sinks down, it gets compressed, which causes energy to be released as heat. As a result, temperatures on the rim and at the top of the Grand Canyon can vastly differ from those characterizing the bottom of the area.
That's all to say: please be careful and smart while visiting the park.
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