I have found out, that unlike my heart, my skin is extremely sensitive. I have lived the majority of my life in North Dakota, where the extreme winter conditions seem to last the majority of the year. I happen to be very familiar with snow, ice, and cold.

In an effort to better tolerate, and to promote happiness in these conditions, my husband and I moved to Colorado. Now, I cannot get enough fresh powder to fall on the ski slopes of Vail. Even in the summer it is easy to escape the city heat and find cooler temperatures in the higher elevations while backpacking in the mountains.

Leaving Colorado in the middle of winter and heading straight into full blown summer ended up being too much for my system. A few days into our family vacation in Hawaii, I developed heat rash.

With all the planning and preparing I have done for our year-long adventure, I did not take into consideration bodily retaliation.

Heat rash is a hateful, awful thing, which comes and goes as it pleases. I tend to over do things, and think I have no limitations… this is normal for me. Our travels so far have been three months of intense heat, high humidity, and continuously sunny days throughout Southeast Asia. Following tropical climates and summer year-round was our travel plan. I thought a great plan.

I have met my match with the equator and tropical sun. The punishment of my many all-day endeavors is itchy, ugly heat rash (also called prickly heat or miliaria), sunburned skin (not because of lack of trying to use sunscreen), and blistered lips. The heat wipes me out, and sometimes breaks my soul.

Heat rash is caused when the body’s sweat glands become blocked beneath the skin’s surface, causing mild inflammation. Prickly heat usually develops when a person sweats more than usual, such as during hot or humid weather. This, in conjunction with, days without air-conditioning, spending hours hiking to highest peaks, and spending full days walking around exploring. All with no proper means to cool down.

Freezing currently as I write this, taking a break from the heat, inside a coffee shop to attempt to heal. I absolutely HATE being restricted… to anything, I suppose. But here I am documenting one of my struggles between my body’s fight with mother nature and my dream of traveling the world.

As helpful as google is, the treatment for heat rash is not. It can be best prevented by avoiding hot, humid conditions, and using air conditioning. I guess life could be this simple if I would let it. We will see.