Yet summer is a great time for a road trip getaway. Some people live in locales that are just too hot for any boisterousness besides swimming.
Take Phoenix. I don't think my neighbors even step outside during the day for three months. WHile they live only 100 miles south of Flagstaff (where I sit and write), Phoenix is 6,000 feet of elevation below.
I also know that east coast climbers have to deal with sweltering heat AND humidity (At least Phoenix is a 'dry' heat...).
To get to the point, you may want a change in pace. For summertime climbing in the west, there's a few places that really come into their own. Here's help on planning your trip.
YOSEMITE: Tops the list for summertime climbing! And you don't have to be a big-wall big-shot climber to have an amazing time. You can either climb in the Valley or up at Tuolome.
The Valley: The heat is not too bad up in the Sierras, and a lot of the single and double pitch climbs are shaded under trees. The worst thing to deal with is the tourist crowds clogging up the campsites and the roads. Come prepared with a dose of patience. If you are new to the Valley, I don't recommend camping at Sunnyside (known infamously to climbers as Camp 4). Pick any other available campground, pay your fee, and ride the shuttle with your gear to your climb. Grab a copy of the shuttle times so you don't miss the last one of the day. For a great site with all the info you need from the climbing community in Yosemite, check out http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~qtluong/moun...
A good book for climbs: Yosemite free Climbs, by Don Reid, Falcon Books (see website below).
I do recommend meeting and hanging out with the other climbers at Camp 4, though. It's a wonderfully companionable, highly international, judgment-free 'community', complete with colorful characters and epic tales told around the campfire.
There are some tricks to actually getting to camp at Camp 4, and the best way to learn them is through making friends and being introduced to the process.
One last note: Yosemite Valley is better suited for intermediate-level climbers than novices.
Tuolumne Meadows: So high into the stratosphere that I promise you won't be hot. Here the glacial topography lends itself to hilly morianes, outwash fields, and rounded domes of perfect white granite. Chances are better for locating the sweet free camp site and crowds are nil. The season is shorter here than in the Valley (which tends to continue into the snows below). Tuolome road is closed after Labor Day through Memorial Day.
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