Summer: The best season of them all?

Megan Poczos, Staff Reporter

Sun, warmth and freedom: These are what come to mind when we think of summer. Swimming, vacation and bonfires—all of these are fun activities that come along with summer. No responsibilities, Netflix marathons and late nights spent with friends. Could there be anything better?

We often forget, amidst the sunshine and glisten of this wonderful season, about the downsides to summer. Sunburn, heatstroke, lack of motivation and bug bites are all parts of summer we usually tend to ignore for the sake of good weather. The question is, is the sun and the warm weather really worth it?

The answer will vary depending on where you spend your summers. In Wisconsin, summer is a time for escape from the bitter cold of winter. The lakes around us are the perfect temperature for swimming and playing, and the nights are just cool enough to need a light sweater at a classic bonfire gathering. If you were in Arizona, however, the answer to whether summer is the best season or not would be vastly different from ours. Temperatures in that section of the U.S. average about 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Granted, it is generally a much dryer heat than what we in Wisconsin are used to, but it still is a little too hot for my taste.

Like I mentioned before, there are also other factors that come into consideration when considering summer for the best season candidate. For me, some of the most insufferable parts of summer are the bugs. My family likes to camp and take other outdoor vacations in summer, and bugs in Wisconsin and Minnesota are inescapable. The mosquito count in these areas is ridiculously high, not to mention ticks in woodland areas and flies in generally fielded areas. This is one of the parts about summer that I just cannot stand.

There are also some health issues that come along with summer. Those of us who are not really used to the heat—i.e., Wisconsinites—have problems adjusting to the copious amounts of sun and hot weather that arises in summer. Severe sunburn, heatstroke and even sun poisoning are risks we all take when we subject ourselves to the sun and heat we are not used to.

Of course, there are always measures we can take to combat these summer problems. We can protect our skin by applying sunscreen every hour we are outside. We can make sure we are not out at the hottest times of day, usually from around noon to 3 p.m. We can remain hydrated and aware of how much sun we are getting. We can spray ourselves copiously with bug spray and put other bug repellants into place to combat those pesky insects that insist on coming back every year when the weather finally gets nice.

So, knowing these advantages and disadvantages that come along with summer, do you think summer is the best season of them all? In my opinion, getting the sun and the warmth definitely outweighs the negative parts of summer.