Tuesday, July 5, 2011

High Anxiety Hiking The Tandy Hills Thinking About Getting Hot in Death Valley

It is currently only 99 degrees. With the humidity making it feel like 102. It was 92 when I took my Hiking Club to the Tandy Hills today. It felt like it was 110.

In the picture you are looking north on the trail you access the Tandy Hills from via the park on View Street.

The hottest I have ever experienced was Death Valley in August of 1998. I was in Las Vegas with my two oldest nephews. The morning paper had the news that conditions were such that Death Valley might break its temperature record that day.

My nephews were up for chasing a record high temperature, so it was off to Badwater in Death Valley we drove.

Unfortunately the temperature did not break the record. If I remember right it only reached 124. Being in 124 degree heat in Death Valley does not feel as HOT as Texas HEAT feels.

When you are at 124 degrees in the super dry desert you drink copious amounts of liquid. But you do not perspire, for the most part. Nor do you find yourself needing to find a restroom facility to void excess liquid. Getting super HOT in the desert is quite a different experience from getting super HOT in Texas.

I woke up this morning feeling a bit of angst, with no reason for the angst. I thought swimming would alter the feeling of foreboding. Post-swim, I still felt angst. Usually over-stimulating myself on the Tandy Hills restores my usual good mood.

But, not today.

I'm sure my high anxiety will dissipate by tomorrow.

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