How to Be Outside in a Canadian Summer Without Hating It

Every summer, I watch the same thing happen.

The days get long and warm and genuinely beautiful, and a huge portion of Canadians spend them inside — not because they don't want to be outdoors, but because summer has started to feel like something to survive rather than something to inhabit.

Heat. Bugs. Ticks. The three reasons I hear most often. And I want to address them directly, because all three are solvable — and the cost of skipping summer is higher than most of us acknowledge.

The Case for Showing Up Anyway

Before we get into the practical stuff, let's name what we're actually losing when we opt out of summer.

Research on time in nature is unambiguous. Exposure to natural environments — even 20 minutes — measurably reduces cortisol, lowers blood pressure, restores directed attention, and improves mood. These aren't soft wellness claims. They're replicated findings across dozens of peer-reviewed studies.

Summer is also the easiest season to accumulate that time. Long days, warm temperatures, and accessible green space mean the barrier to entry is lower than it is in February. The problem isn't the season. It's that we've accumulated a set of unsolved problems that make summer outside feel more threatening than it is.

So let's solve them.

Heat: Your Body Is Built for This

The first thing to know about summer heat is that your body is designed to adapt to it.

Heat acclimatization is a real, well-documented physiological process. Within 10 to 14 days of regular outdoor exposure, your body becomes meaningfully more efficient at thermoregulation — your sweat response activates earlier, your plasma volume increases, and your cardiovascular system handles heat stress more effectively. You become better at being hot. But only if you go outside.

If you're waiting for a cooler day, you're preventing your body from ever adapting — which means every hot day feels as hard as the first one.

The practical approach: start with shorter outings, timed to avoid peak UV and heat. In most of Canada during summer, that means before 10am or after 6pm. These windows are generous and genuinely pleasant.

When you do go out, choose shaded routes. Forest canopy reduces ambient temperature by 2 to 8 degrees Celsius depending on tree density — a wooded trail is a fundamentally different thermal environment than an open field or a parking lot. Seek it deliberately.

On hydration: plain water is insufficient if you're sweating heavily for over an hour. Electrolytes matter — sodium in particular. A pinch of salt and a squeeze of citrus in your water, or a proper electrolyte drink, makes a real difference in how you feel.

For clothing, loose breathable layers in natural fibres — linen, merino — actually outperform bare skin in direct sun by reducing UV exposure and slowing water loss.

Bugs: What Actually Works

Mosquitoes and blackflies are part of a functioning ecosystem and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But understanding their behaviour makes them easier to manage.

Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk. They're drawn to carbon dioxide, dark clothing, floral fragrances, and standing water. Blackflies in Ontario tend to peak in late May to mid-June — after that, they drop off substantially.

On repellents: citronella and essential oil-based sprays offer roughly 20 minutes of partial protection under ideal conditions. They're not nothing, but they're not a strategy for a full day outside.

DEET is the gold standard. Health Canada has approved concentrations up to 30% for adults, and lower concentrations (10% or less) for children under 12. It works reliably and is safe when used as directed.

Picaridin (called icaridin in Canada) matches DEET's effectiveness in peer-reviewed studies and has a gentler profile — it doesn't damage synthetic fabrics, plastics, or gear finishes, and most people find it less irritating on skin. It's available at Canadian Tire, Shoppers Drug Mart, and most outdoor retailers.

For serious trail time, permethrin applied to clothing is worth knowing about. It's a synthetic compound derived from chrysanthemums, binds to fabric rather than skin, and provides protection against both mosquitoes and ticks through multiple wash cycles. It's a different tool than a topical repellent — and a very effective one.

For blackfly season, a head net is not overkill. It's just smart.

Ticks: Informed, Not Afraid

Tick awareness has increased substantially in Canada over the last decade — and for good reason. Reported Lyme disease cases rose from under 1,000 in 2015 to over 5,200 preliminary cases in 2024. The blacklegged tick has expanded its range north and is now established across much of southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. This is a real, climate-linked shift that deserves a real response.

That response is not fear. It's a protocol.

Here is the most important tick fact most people don't know: in most cases, a blacklegged tick must be attached for 24 to 36 hours before it can transmit Lyme disease. This means the window between exposure and risk is large — and a simple, consistent post-outing check closes most of that window.

The tick check protocol:

Stay on marked trails where possible, particularly avoiding tall grass and shrubby edges where ticks quest for hosts. Wear light-coloured clothing — it makes ticks much easier to spot. Tuck pants into socks when going off-trail. Apply DEET or picaridin, both of which also repel ticks.

After your outing: shower within 2 hours (research shows this alone significantly reduces tick-borne disease risk), and do a full-body check — hairline, behind the ears, armpits, behind the knees, groin.

If you find a tick: use fine-tipped tweezers, grasp as close to the skin as possible, and pull straight up without twisting. Skip the petroleum jelly and the lighter — those are myths that make things worse. Place the tick in a sealed bag and photograph it.

Then go to eTick.ca — Canada's free national tick identification platform. Upload your photo, get a species ID, and receive guidance on next steps. It's one of the most practical public health tools available and not enough people know it exists.

The Bottom Line

Heat, bugs, and ticks are real. None of them should keep you inside.

Your body adapts to heat when you give it the chance. Effective bug repellents exist and are widely available. Tick risk is manageable with a protocol that takes less than five minutes.

What summer in Canada asks of you is not toughness. It's information and a little preparation.

Go outside. The research says you need it. The season is offering it.

Want the full breakdown with gear recommendations and a deeper tick protocol? Watch the video on YouTube or join the ReWild community at projectrewild.com/join.