I Prefer Dry Heat

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As much of the rest of the nation swelters under higher than average summer temperatures, we have enjoyed a fairly mild summer in Las Vegas. A few weeks ago, on a hike with a close friend here, we discussed how we have acclimated to and prefer the desert heat. Sure, it feels like an oven sometimes, but it has its advantages as well.

Sweating in the desert actually helps you. When it's humid, how can the evaporative process cool you if the atmosphere is already saturated? I cannot fathom how the civil war was actually fought by men running around dressed in wool clothing during the summer months under humid and hot summer conditions. Even in the shade, that's your only respite, that the sun is off you.

Even though it sucks to run on mornings where it's already 89F at 530 AM, it beats humidity any time of day. When I go back east, although it's thousands of feet lower in elevation, I feel like there is more resistance when I run. I sweat more quickly, even in the winter, and because there's already water in the air, it feels like I'm being poked by lots of tiny pins as I run.

It's also easier to get cool without extra water in the air. Frequently in humid areas, even though the A.C. is running, you still sweat. In my house, as long as it's dry, I feel cooler because I stay cleaner without sweating.

When I moved to Vegas, I didn't like the heat of the desert. I think I have acclimated. As long as the outside temperature is below my normal basal body temperature, I don't need the AC driving around. Even though it's 106 outside when I play tennis in the park sometimes, it's also in the shade and windy and in a park, and so it's pleasant enough that I get a great workout and sweat it out. It works for me, and I have learned to love the desert west.

It truly is a place that God prepared for me.