Desert Fathers Dispatch

I am no fan of heat and humidity. This is a combination that only gives misery and discomfort.  Indeed, many people who like the outdoors dread this time of year because of temperatures in the nineties with enough humidity that it really feels as if it is 100+ degrees.  I remember one weatherman called this “humature.”

Hiking in the early morning, or very late evening are the best ways to enjoy the natural world in such conditions. A mid-day hike during a heat advisory is foolhardy, even if one takes sufficient hydration.  To avoid hiking altogether during the summer is to cheat one’s self of one of the finest phases of the year with its lush greens and fragrant scents.  As said in the old Negro spiritual, “trouble don’t last always,” neither do 90+ degree temperatures and “humatures.”  If we make our way around the heat and humidity, being outdoors…