Okay, I know the heat has gotten you down. Hiking in humid 90 plus degree weather is about as enjoyable as hiking in the suana. So, just change up your hiking day. Rather than going out at 10 and hiking through high noon with the sun pounding on you, simply start earlier. How early? Really freaking early.
Go to http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.php and follow the directions to get your accurate sunrise time. This is the time the sun is actually visible not when it is daylight out. About a half-hour before the official sunrise time it begins to lighten up outside. This is good news for you, unless you’re a night owl.
The table looks like this and is in military time so 0530 is 5:30 in the morning. (For those of you who have never watched NCIS. MacGuyver, or any war movie ever.)
If you are going some where else, besides lovely Cincinnati (traitor), you can simply enter the location and wah-la a chart for your specific location. Thank the Navy for this wonderful and accurate tool.
Pack the night before for your hike—get your map, know where you are going, make sure it is open that early, pack your food and water (lots of water), sun hat, sunscreen, first aid kit, and any other crap you just have to have on the hike. Next, roll out of bed giving yourself enough time to arrive at least a half-hour before the sunrise time on the sunrise/sunset table.
Start hiking with the first light of the day. This should give you, if you are in Cincinnati area, a good four to six hours of hiking time without the intense heat. Don’t get me wrong–it will still be plenty warm and sticky but at least you won’t feel like you are hiking in an convection oven.