Brace yourself for the understatement of the century: it’s hot.

Today’s high temp was around 100, but the heat index was the real clincher, hovering around 120 degrees. It’s the kind of heat that smacks you in the face when you open the door.

Last weekend we went camping in the North Georgia mountains, and I had hoped that by heading north we might escape the worst of the heat. I was both right and wrong. Saturday morning was quite pleasant as I made our traditional campground breakfast of bacon, eggs and grits. Then we headed off on a hike, and while we broke a sweat on our way up the mountain, we were rewarded with a GLORIOUS cold mist from this waterfall as we waded around in a chilly swimming hole.

But then the afternoon came, and the heat was just brutal. We went on a farm tour, and as we walked back on this hot dirt road, I thought we might just melt.

Yes, the temps in North Georgia were lower than Savannah on that day, but they were still in the mid-90s with no air conditioning for escape. We were stuck in the heat, like it or not.

That night, we had to make a fire to roast marshmallows, because what would camping be without them? But I think Camille’s pose in this picture tells the story. She looks wiped out from her day in the heat, and is leaning as far away from the fire as she can while her Daddy braves the flames and roasts the marshmallows for her. He’s a dedicated Daddy for sure.

We had a good time on our trip, but we learned something about ourselves. When it comes to camping in Georgia, we’re all about the spring and fall. You know it’s just too hot when you start looking forward to that six-hour air-conditioned ride home.