United States, Yellowstone National Park, on the border between Wyoming and Idaho.
The world's most famous supervolcano, Yellowstone Volcano, lay here. For precisely that reason, the national park was filled with geysers, hot springs, steam pools, and thermal pools, enjoying uniquely favorable geothermal conditions.
A United States Geological Survey (USGS) team of over a dozen people carried various surveying instruments as they trudged across rugged, barren ground, their footing uneven.
"So hot! Even the asphalt road melted into mush, making us walk."
A brown-haired white woman, her skin flushed red, took off her jacket and slung it over her shoulder. Wiping away sweat, she complained.
"Melissa, we're actually pretty lucky. Only the last stretch was impassable to vehicles."
The middle-aged, bearded Black man leading the team grinned and reassured her:
"We'll reach the designated monitoring site in another five minutes."
As the only woman among a group of rough men, the brown-haired woman received preferential treatment. Apart from her own backpack, she didn't have to carry heavy equipment like the others.
Even so, the brown-haired woman was thoroughly exhausted.
Since getting out of the vehicle, her clothes had dried and become soaked again countless times, leaving her utterly worn out.
The rotten-egg stench of sulfur peculiar to volcanic areas drifted through the air.
As far as the eye could see, the volcanic region was monotonous in color, with bare cliffs everywhere-a completely barren wasteland. Cracks also dotted the ground like traps. One careless step could sink half a leg into them.
"Captain, doesn't something seem a little off?"
A young team member licked his lips, his mouth parched. "Isn't it way too hot? I came here at this time last year too. This is even hotter than summer."
It was now the latter half of September, with crisp autumn weather.