Hikes in Shenandoah and Sky Meadows – Another winery visit – COVID and international travel – More nation-wide contention about abortion – Evening statistics
Friday and Saturday were wet and dreary. The clouds lingered on Sunday but thankfully the rain came to an end after falling almost continually for 48 hours. It was not the most promising of conditions under which to lead a hike, but nonetheless MM and I led a bus hike for the Capital Hiking Club on Sunday. Normally this club hikes on Saturdays, but on this weekend the bus was not available on the 7th. In the event, it worked out to our advantage; we were leading a hike that ascended Hawksbill and ended at the Stony Man Overlook and the trails, which are very rocky in some areas, would not have been pleasant to navigate under constant rainfall.
Despite the fog and mist that obscured most of the views, the hike came off splendidly. Capital Hiking Club is based on Meetup, and while this system has advantages, it has drawbacks as well. In particular, many sign up for a hike or two almost at random, in some cases greatly over-estimating their capabilities. I have been on several in the past that ended in the group waiting at the end for a long time for one or two stragglers. But nothing like that occurred today. Every one of the hikers, even those hiking with the club for the first time, handled the trails well and the amount of time between the first and the last of the hikers to arrive at the bus was brief for both the moderate and the long hikes. On the overlook itself the clouds had lifted and we had birds-eye views of the Page Valley and the town of Luray, the vegetation appearing unusually lush and green as a result of the recent rain. They all enjoyed the hike. A few of the first-time members became club members and we received two volunteers to act as hike leaders – who, indeed, are greatly needed.
Today was the first mild and sunny day we have had in the course of a week. Various hiking friends and I went together to the Lost Mountain section of Sky Meadows. We have hiked within Sky Meadows fairly frequently during the pandemic – it is a convenient distance from DC and is reached via major traffic arteries without necessitating the use of any gravel roads – but we do not go to the Lost Mountain section very often. I “led” a hike there, but “explored” would be a better word for what I actually did, for it had been a long time since I had been there and I was not altogether certain of the route to take. But I managed to piece it together. We used the counterclockwise route for the loop, the preferable way to ascend the mountain: the steeper portion occurs during the beginning of the ascent, making the descent towards the end more gradual. In addition, the views are better; as we descend, the there is one switchback that emerges from the belt of trees to provide a clear view of the meadow below and of the ridgeline over which the Appalachian Trail runs, whereas anyone who ascends by the way we went downward would have to look backward to see the same view.
Afterwards we went to the Delaplane winery, a first visit for many of us. We had a wonderful time there. The winery allows customers to bring their own food to the tables on the deck, which overlooks Sky Meadows and the surrounding area, and the weather was perfect: warm but not hot and not at all humid – somewhat surprisingly, in view of all of the precipitation for the past several days; and of course everyone provided food and there naturally was an abundance of wine. There were eight of us in all and we emptied at least three bottles among us.
But even among this idyllic setting we had a reminder that the pandemic is still to be reckoned with. The hike was originally organized by LM, who planned to lead it after his return from the Lake District in England. But just the day before we received news that he and one of the other members of the group with whom he was traveling tested positive for COVID and are currently quarantined in England for at least ten days.
We commented among ourselves about the futility of the regulations that the U.S. has imposed upon travelers. Initially it seemed advisable to test travelers from abroad and to delay their return until their recovery: we were still trying to contain the virus, and the effects of the virus were much more severe than they are now. But at this point the virus has spread all over the country – as noted earlier, it is quite possible that as much as 60% of the population has been affected – while the prevalence of newer and milder variants, combined with the fact that three-quarters of the adult population has been vaccinated, indicates that such precautions are no longer needed. The European countries have jettisoned them: it is not necessary to get tested to enter them. This past Thursday major U.S. airlines, business and travel groups, and other companies urged the White House on Thursday to abandon the pre-departure testing requirements for international travelers. It is not the first appeal of this nature; many corporations in the tourist industry, as well as several health experts, have asked the administration repeatedly during March and April to imitate the example of Great Britain, Germany, and Canada, among others, in this matter. So far the White House has not responded.
Abortion continues to be a rallying cry for both parties. Democrats are attempting to pass legislation that explicitly entitles women to decide their own fate when they become impregnated, while Mitch McConnell has openly stated that a national abortion ban would be “possible” once the Republicans gain control of the Senate and the House as a result of the midterm elections. Perhaps the most arbitrary pronouncement on the subject came from Governor Tate Reeves of Mississippi. Mississippi has a trigger law set to ban abortion immediately if the Supreme Court overturns the Roe v. Wade decision. An interview he conducted with CNN correspondent Jake Tapper including the following exchange:
JAKE TAPPER: Assuming SCOTUS overturns Roe, Mississippi will force girls & women who are victims of incest to carry the child to term. Can you explain why that is the law?
GOV. REEVES: Because in 2007 the Mississippi legislature passed it.
This argument is roughly in alignment with that of Ring Lardner’s character in “The Young Immigrunts”: “’Shut up,’ he explained.”
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 517,592,255; # of deaths worldwide: 6,277,573; # of cases U.S.: 83,664,501; # of deaths; U.S.: 1,024,718.