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Comment By Joseph Vaile KS Wild DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile KS Wild Posted Jun. 30, 2015 at 7:36 PM By Joseph Vaile KS Wild Posted Jun. 30, 2015 at 7:36 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Lists: Three Siskiyou Crest hikes to take before summer's end... • 'Homecoming' can be to a time or a place — for a person, or a wolf... » Social News “Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” While there is disagreement about who first coined the phrase, Mark Twain is often credited with making it popular. Humorist Twain (born Samuel Langhorne Clemens) said this in jest, knowing full well in the 19th century that there was not a darn thing anyone could do about the weather, so why spend all this time talking about it? Had the father of American literature said this today, he might have been referring to climate change, frustrated with the lack of cooperative effort of our human nations in curbing climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for some of the crazy weather patterns of late. If you have been following the climate change projections, you won’t be surprised that we are recording some of the hottest months on record. For our region, scientists predict that the annual average temperature is expected to increase one to three degrees by 2040 and eight degrees by 2080. Whoa. Maybe it’s just a hot summer. Or, is this the new normal that we are experiencing? Scientists talk about climate change in two contexts: Adapting and preventing (or reversing) climate change. The second is a harder obstacle, one that we need to all work together to solve. The first is a little easier for us humans, with our air conditioned cars and houses. If you’d like to get out of the house this summer, however, here’s how I recommend adapting to the heat: 1. Get wet: Nothing cools you down as immediately as a dip in a cool body of water. It can make your day. My favorite swimming holes are on the lower Illinois River, the Smith River National Recreation Area, and the Upper Applegate River. Also, any cirque lake is great for a dip. Cirque lakes are formed when erosion, often from a retreating glacier, carves out a small basin in a mountain. Towhead Lake in the Red Buttes Wilderness Area and Devil’s Punchbowl in the Siskiyou Wilderness Area are my two favorite lakes. Close to Ashland, you can dip in the swimming reservoir above Lithia Park, but you should make sure to check out the Rogue Riverkeeper’s app and website (at www.rogueriverkeeper.org , click on the Swim Guide) to ensure that the bacteria levels are safe. Throughout the summer, bacteria can become abundant in Ashland Creek and other water bodies as temperatures climb and flows diminish. If you are a boater or you want to try your hand at rafting, there is nowhere like the Klamath-Siskiyou with our density of wild rivers. KS Wild is teaming up with some of the most popular rafting companies in southern Oregon to offer sunny summer days and starry summer nights on the river. Momentum River Expeditions, Indigo Creek and Norwest Rafting area my favorite guide services. 2. Get high: There's no better way to beat the heat than by gaining some altitude. Take a hike to the top of Mt Ashland, the Red Buttes Wilderness, or Crater Lake where temperatures can be much cooler, especially at night. If you are very adventurous, there is also some amazing peak bagging nearby, including the Mount McCloughlin, Mount Thielsen and even Mount Shasta. The backside of Mount Ashland offers spectacular beauty. From just beyond the Ski Area parking lot you can traverse the Siskiyou Crest and hike on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). One of my favorite stretches of the PCT is Red Mountain. The mountain is red due to a special rock called serpentine, and its red rock slopes are home to an array of rare wildflowers. Add the panoramic views from the top of the Cascades, Marbles, Siskiyous and the Rogue Valley, and you have the makings of an outstanding day. You can visit www.kswild.org for a listing of local hikes. 3. Get beached: The southern Oregon and northern California coast is always much cooler than the inland valleys, and it is also one the most spectacular coastlines in the world. On a recent trip to the coast, I could watch the triple digit heat click down on the thermometer in my Subaru Forester. Samuel Boardman State Scenic Corridor north of Brookings has more than 20 miles of trails to explore — most of which offer sweeping coastal views. The Redwood parks along the Smith River also offer a respite from the heat. Our friends at South Coast Tours offer guided kayaking, fishing and stand-up paddle boarding tours on the southern Oregon coast. You can choose from a variety of tours out of Gold Beach and Brookings. For more info, contact them at www.southcoasttours.net . Good luck beating the heat this summer. When you cool down, let’s work on beating climate change .... Joseph Vaile is executive director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild, 541-488-5789, www.kswild.org ). His Wild Side column appears every three weeks. By Joseph Vaile KS Wild DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile KS Wild Posted Jun. 30, 2015 at 7:36 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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