Last week, I was so excited because we finally got some much-needed rain in Phoenix. And while some people who live here will complain about the rain, I welcomed the showers with open arms. When it rains here, it means that the temperature will be cooler outside. In fact, after a downpour, we sometimes get 2 or 3 days of nicer weather. When this happens, I usually take advantage of the places that I skip when the weather is too hot to manage. I love going to the hiking trails after it rains because the trails are so much better when the desert heat isn’t blistering. Of course, on the hiking trails, there are no air conditioning or cooling stations, so there is nowhere to find reprieve from the heat. Some trails have water stations located at the trailheads, where you can fill a bottle with cool water. Many of the trails have no shaded areas, which makes them even harder to trek when it’s brutally hot. So, I always make sure that I take advantage of those days when it’s nice outside and I am not yearning to remain in the air conditioning because the temperatures are scorching hot. Because there is no air conditioning in the wilderness, we must take extra precautions to make sure that our bodies don’t overheat. Some people love hiking in the brutally hot weather, but I would rather wait for cooler temperatures. Why risk my life to go hiking on a trail that can be accessed when the weather is much nicer outside? I would much rather stay home in my comfortable air conditioning on those days.