Summer is officially here! While I’m excited about all the hiking and outdoor fun ahead (even here in Phoenix where we’ll hit 115-120°F), I want to make sure you can enjoy your adventures safely. Before you chase that perfect sunset or tackle that trail you’ve been eyeing, let’s talk about the uninvited guests that can crash any summer outdoor party: sunburns, heat illness, and those tiny vampires we call ticks.

I’m not here to scare you back inside, my goal is to arm you with knowledge so you can adventure smarter, safer, and get home with good stories instead of cautionary tales. Let’s dive in!

The Sunburn Reality Check

Some of us still remember the days of “healthy tans” and routinely burning at the first pool party of the year, but we know better now. Think you’re invincible? Here’s a wake-up call: almost one-third of US adults get sunburned every year. Among high school students, that number jumps to a whopping 64%. While many burns might feel like just a minor inconvenience, they’re doing real damage. Over 33,000 sunburns are serious enough to require emergency room visits each year. What’s worse is having five or more sunburns can double your risk of skin cancer. There’s good news though: wearing SPF 15+ broad-spectrum sunscreen daily may cut your melanoma risk in half!

a woman wearing a visor on a mountain hike puts on sunscreen on her face

Sun protection that actually works:

Slather on the sunscreen: Use broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher. Most people don’t use nearly enough, so apply a thick coat to all exposed skin and reapply at least every two hours, especially after heavy sweating or swimming (yes, even the “waterproof” types.)
Bring your own shade: Lightweight pants and long sleeves aren’t just for desert dwellers, and a wide-brimmed hat is perfect to protect your face and neck. In extreme cases, covering all your skin is best, but most of the time we don’t need to go that far.
Learn to love the UV Index: This daily forecast tells you how strong the sun’s harmful rays will be. Typically the UVIndex peaks between 10 AM and 2 PM when the sun is directly overhead, but this varies by location.
- 0-2 (Low): You’re pretty safe, but sunscreen never hurts
- 3-5 (Moderate): Time for sunscreen if you’ll be outside more than a few minutes
- 6-7 (High): Definitely need sunscreen, hat, and shade
- 8-10 (Very High): Lather on sunscreen, cover up, limit outdoor time
- 11+ (Extreme): Stay inside during midday if possible
Remember reflection: UV rays bounce off snow, water, sand, and other bright surfaces, sometimes doubling your exposure risk. Clouds don’t help either – they just spread UV rays around and make shade harder to find.
Protect your eyes: Photokeratitis is basically a sunburn of your corneas. It’s extremely painful and can cause temporary blindness. Repeated exposure leads to cataracts and other long-term eye problems. Since you can’t put sunscreen on your eyes (please don’t do this), get sunglasses that block at least 99% of UVA and UVB rays. Wraparound styles work best by protecting you from UV rays entering from the sides or back.

hiker Man dropping fresh water on his head

Heat Illness Is Serious Business

Summer heat can be dangerous anywhere. I’ve dealt with heat illness all over: from the Gobi Desert to White Sands National Park to right outside my home in Arizona. In 2023, almost 120,000 people ended up in US emergency rooms due to heat, with 92% of cases happening between May and September. Just a few days ago, four people had to be rescued from one of my favorite nearby trails – three needed helicopter airlifts.

Heat illness can be life-threatening, so what can you do to stay safe? Preparation is key. Knowing the conditions you’ll face will help you stay out of trouble. This is why we focus so much on preparation at GOES, to keep you up-to-date on weather and sun exposure information.

Drinking water while the sun in blazing

Your Heat Survival Toolkit

Work your way up: Give your body 7-14 days to get used to heat before pushing limits. Start with short trips in the early morning or late evening to help your body adjust to high temperatures.
Watch the humidity: High humidity makes it harder to cool down by sweating. Pay attention to both temperature and humidity levels throughout the day.
Stay hydrated (but not too hydrated): Your body needs water to cool down through circulation and sweating. But drinking too much water can dilute your salt levels, causing a dangerous condition called hyponatremia. Most electrolyte powders or sports drinks don’t have enough salt. The best approach: hydrate in advance, carry plenty of water, drink when thirsty (not on a rigid schedule), and eat salty snacks along the way.
Seek shade: Stay out of direct sunlight, especially during peak heat hours. Our weather and UV Index forecast will give you the specifics for your exact location.
Know heat-related warning signs: Headache, nausea, dizziness, or confusion? Time to act immediately. Get out of the sun fast and start cooling down. If there’s a stream or pool nearby that you can safely get into, that’s the fastest way to cool down – the colder the water, the better. In emergency rooms, we use ice baths to cool people down if they’re in really bad shape. No water nearby? Wet the person’s face, hair, and shirt with your drinking water (you brought extra, right?) and fan them to help cooling through evaporation.

Those Pesky Summer Ticks

Summer is the high season for those tiny intruders. We’ve all dealt with ants and bees crashing our Memorial Day BBQs and fighting through mosquito swarms on backpacking trips. We’ll cover these seasonal pests in later blogs, but for now let’s focus on a specific threat: ticks.

Ticks can be one of the most serious bug threats you’ll face on spring and summer trails. These little blood-suckers like to bite and attach to us, continuing to feed for days until they’re removed. The bites generally aren’t serious by themselves (most people won’t even notice), but they can carry nasty diseases.

In 2022, there were over 70,000 cases of tickborne diseases, and the real number is probably higher. Lyme disease is most common, but there are others. One weird one is Alpha-gal syndrome, which can make you allergic to red meat – ruining your Labor Day cookout!

Unfortunately, these numbers keep going up as climate change and other factors bring ticks into new areas, and as new invasive tick species spread. But it’s not all bad news – there are easy ways to protect yourself this summer.

Tick on a leaf of grass reaching for skin

Where ticks are commonly found

Ticks are most common in the Northeast, South, and Midwest. They love to hide in tall grass and shrubs.

What to wear to prevent tick bites

Long pants and sleeves limit ticks’ access to your skin. Even better, treat your clothes with Permethrin (available as spray or laundry additive). This kills ticks on contact, making it much harder for them to get to you.

Use bug repellent

Bug spray may not be fun to put on, but it’s one of the best ways to prevent bites. DEET at 30% concentration gives about 6 hours of protection, but it smells bad, can damage some waterproof fabrics, and kids under 12 should use kid versions with a lower concentration. Picaridin at 20% concentration gives 10 hours of protection without as many downsides.

Unfortunately, essential oils and citronella products just don’t work as well, but new products are being researched every day.

Removing ticks

When to remove ticks

The longer a tick stays attached, the more likely it is to transmit disease. Removing within 36 hours significantly decreases your chance of getting sick, and the sooner the better. Take a shower immediately when you get home and check your entire body. Use a mirror or have someone help check places you can’t see.

How to remove ticks properly

Don’t use gasoline, electricity, or hot matches (seriously, don’t imitate those viral videos). These can damage your skin or force infected fluid into your body. Instead, grab the tick’s head as close to your skin as possible and pull slowly and steadily without twisting until it comes loose. If you need a reminder on how to do this, the GOES app will walk you through all the steps.

Watch for symptoms

Noticing fever, headache, body aches, joint pain, or rash – especially the classic “bullseye” pattern? These are all reasons to get checked out.

Classic bullseye pattern of a bite

Have Fun, Stay Safe, and Keep Yourself Out of the ER

Summer is one of my favorite times of year. As a desert dweller for much of my life, I love the long days, bright sun, and all the different opportunities for outdoor fun. The great news is that all these activities can be safe and rewarding with the right preparation and awareness. That’s why we created GOES, and why we’re always looking to help everyone enjoy the outdoors safely.

Pack smart, stay hydrated, protect your skin, and keep those bug sprays handy. Your future self – the one enjoying a hot dog cooked over the campfire instead of worrying about your tick-borne meat allergy – will thank you.

A Doctor’s Guide to Summer Outdoor Adventures (without the ER Visit)