The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for Denver, spanning Friday to Monday. It didn't take long for their predictions to come to fruition.
We traveled the metro, dear gentle reader, to bring you tales of the melted and triumphant in this trying time.
The Hero
A scorcher is Ruben Tapia's time to shine. He's a long-tenured certified HVAC tech.
Air conditioners tend to break down en masse when temperatures break triple digits.
"People are usually pretty thrilled, pretty happy to see me on a day like today," he said as he approached his next appointment in La Alma/Lincoln Park. "It's like you're the superhero. You are showing up to save the day."
This appointment didn't seem, at first, to be so dire. The row home on Inca Street was cool enough inside. Then Tapia opened up the metal box out back.
"Wooooo!" he exhaled as the panel came down, revealing a thick layer of dust over an intake vent. "This is what we often see when we're looking at systems that haven't been serviced."
Between the buildup, some clearly faulty wiring and — worst of all — a dead compressor, Tapia diagnosed the problem: This unit didn't work at all. He'd eventually recommend a brand-new system.
Tapia said he sees this all the time: an AC unit's death by a thousand cuts and no upkeep. Systems have to work harder to compensate. Then, when the weather really broils, they give up the ghost. Units all over town tend to die at once.
Odie Smith, marketing manager for Tapia's employer — Heart Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric — said customers have particularly needed rescue this year.
"Last June, we had about 900-and-some-change calls. This June we had 4,000, over 4,000. So a 400 percent increase from last June," Smith told us. "Not everyone was completely prepared for this summer."
Both Smith and Tapia said they know full well that a warming climate means cooling systems are a less and less optional feature in town, in turn making them bigger and bigger heroes with each passing year.
But that also means Tapia will be busiest when outside is the least desirable place to be.
"It's brutal. Every now and then I'll get lucky and I'll be in a shaded area, but nine times out of ten, you're in direct sunlight or you're on a roof or you're in extreme conditions like an attic in the afternoon. And I've measured 140 degrees in an attic before," he said, sweating in his client's backyard. "You've got to make sure you hydrate as a technician, and make sure that you're taking care of yourself."
The Commuters
At RTD’s Arapahoe Station in southeast Denver, people sat in shelters and on the ground, congregating in the patches of shade at the station. In the heat of the day, everyone was avoiding sitting in the sun.
While some people looked like they were camped out for the day, others were headed to work. Scheduled RTD light rail maintenance had already pushed service on some lines to once every hour, while unexpected slow zones due to new track issues have been causing even more delays.
In Friday’s heat, that wait for the train could be excruciating.
Tasha Harris was on her way to work. She had lent her car to her son, but began second-guessing that decision after stewing there for 20 minutes with no light rail in sight.
“This week is brutal,” she said.
The Tourney
"Water break!" Jesse Hall rasped as the shadow of sweat grew on his shirt.
Both he and his opponent, Ryan Phasouk, had three official timeouts, but the refs were offering as many "hydration" pauses as people needed.
This was USA Pickleball's Golden Ticket Sponsored by HearingLife, an amateur tournament in Arvada where the best could qualify for the league's annual national finals. AJ Peterson, who flew out from USA Pickleball's headquarters in Arizona, said they were hoping for better weather.
"We weren't expecting something like this," he said, taking refuge under a tent.
They did expect 500 athletes of all ages Friday. But, by 3 p.m., Peterson said a decent number dropped out, ostensibly due to the heat wave.
But not Hall or Phasouk.
"It didn't get to that point," he said. "We were telling each other, 'Dig deep. Let's go. Let's make it a game.'"
Neither did Vern Jaques, the Aurora resident who made it through this sauna of a day as "the winner of everyone 75 and above."
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I stayed hydrated. I had electrolytes with me. I had a hat," he told us. "Probably let a few balls go that I would've gone after, but not many."
Thomas Tadler, head ref for this tournament, said his colleagues are very careful when the sun becomes so punishing. But, increasingly, outdoor play is not the only option. This sport is growing too fast.
"We just played a tournament in Macon, Georgia, in a shopping mall where a store had gone out of business and they put 31 courts inside, an upper and lower level, air-conditioned. It was a beautiful facility," he said. "So if the weather gets inclement, we can always move inside."
The Cool-Off
We found El'heiris, who is eight years old, burying himself in the sand at Confluence Park as his brothers bobbed down the river in a tube. Their mother sat in the shade, watching from afar.
How did the water feel?
"It's warm and cold," he told us. "It gets warm when you get used to it, but when you get out you get cold."
Was it good to feel cold on a day like today?
"Kind of."
So, maybe too cold. The sand helped even things out.
Was there anything he'd like to add?
"It's a good day to come to the beach."
