Some like it hot

A view of Mission Peak from Lake Elizabeth

Growing up in Southern California, I don't remember owning a coat. In the winter, I was not alone when I wore shorts to school. Except for smog alerts, I was blissfully unaware of the weather for almost two decades. Then, for a brief college stint, I lived in Utah. That's where I learned to wear boots and curse the winter snow. It’s also where I wondered how people kept on living normal lives in the stifling summer heat.