The hike in Patapsco – Reduction in COVID deaths – Possible increase in penalties for dealers of fentanyl – Trump and DeSantis – A festivity at Mar-a-Lago – Evening statistics
Another pause in the narrative, on account of curious sequence of events that occurred over the past couple of days.
I was supposed to lead a hike for the Wanderbirds today, and in preparation for it I scouted the route with my co-leader yesterday, which was the only day that he was available. It was a most discouraging exploration. Everything that could conceivably go wrong, did. The hike route was in Patapsco State Park, and when we arrived there we discovered that numerous closures had taken place. The park is a strange one in many ways. It is divided into several discrete areas, some of which are not even contiguous. However, two of these areas, the Avalon/Orange Grove area along the south bank of the river and the Hilton area along the north bank, are connected by means of a bridge. The Hilton area contains a trail called the Grist Mill Trail that runs along the shoreline of the river through the area and acts as the spine, so to speak, of the trails that span it; many trails in the area use a junction with this trail as their terminus, and it is difficult to organize a hike of significant length without using this trail to some extent. Judge, then, of our dismay when we discovered that the trail had been closed for an indefinite period. Moreover, the parking area that we have sometimes used there was closed likewise. There is another parking area about a quarter of mile from it, but it is small and crowded, and in any case it would be impossible for a bus to maneuver into it.
It was clear that the hike in its original form would have to be rerouted. In previous iterations we would park close to the bridge, walk across to hike in the Hilton area, cross the bridge again, and hike in the Avalon area. Since it was no longer feasible to access the Hilton area at all, we were forced to restrict our scouting to the Avalon area, which has the most extensive parking.
But even here we ran into difficulties. The park has several trails are blazed, but it likewise contains trails with no blazes (or even names) at all. The blazed trails have numerous junctions with the unblazed ones, and at several of these the blazes are not particularly well-placed for the purpose of adhering to the correct, named trail. On one of trails we explored, called Rockburn Branch, we soon found ourselves diverted onto a trail with no blazes that led to a small stream. I had no recollection of this detail from previous visits, but it had been several years since I had been to the park and of course I could not rely on my memory at so distant a date – so we pressed on, despite my misgivings. We found our way back eventually, but it was a time-consuming detour. There were similar opportunities for going astray at other junctions and the park maps were not especially illuminating – all in all, we must have covered about four miles in detours. Then, too, we got a late start because we spent part of the morning investigating the state of the parking at the Hilton area, and we completed our wanderings just a few minutes before the park closed for the day.
At this point I was tempted to cancel the hike altogether. Such a course is somewhat more feasible for the Wanderbirds than it is for Capital Hiking, because the hike fees used to pay for the bus are not collected in advance. But about thirty people had already signed up for it, and canceling the hike, especially at such short notice, would have been a drastic measure, one that would have done no good for the club’s reputation.
So I spent yesterday night tabulating the information we obtained from the scouting to devise a hike to use for today. Organizing a two-tier hike, a longer and a shorter one, would be impossible at this stage. The hike would have to a compromise between the two, sufficiently long to satisfy those expecting to go 10-13 miles and yet not too taxing for those who normally hike 7-9 miles. Eventually I came up with a route that seemed to meet these conditions.
I started leading the hike this morning with considerable unease. To begin with, there were many potential wrong turns I could take and thereby mislead others in the process. At least on this occasion I knew which ones to look out for. Then again, I had had no time to verify whether the hike, which I projected to be about 9 miles, was too long or too short. If it was too long, some of the attendees might not be able to complete it, and if it was too short, some of the attendees might resent spending a day being driven to a hike not sufficiently challenging to interest them.
All of these worries turned out to be needless. The hike was indeed longer than my original estimate (about 10½ miles in all) but everyone completed it well within the appointed time. We had almost ideal weather: brisk, certainly (in the mid-40s) but sunny and breezy and perfectly dry. The hikers all expressed enjoyment – and, in some cases, delight – from this introduction to the river valley, which many of them had never seen before. I had hoped that the timing of the hike would enable us to arrive at the park’s waterfall, which is its most prominent feature, at the right time for lunch. This hope was realized; several of us arrived there between 11:30 and 12:00. The waterfall is not large, but its streaming waters make a vivid contrast with the black rock behind the falls as they spill into a small shallow pellucid pond at its base. There were numerous large and fairly flat rocks to sit upon, and we saw the play of the sunlight on the pond and we heard the continual soft plashing of the water in the background as we consumed our meal.
After the hike, as usual, we snacked and drank soft drinks and beer. Many members had contributed various chips and baked goods, and conversation as we grouped about the bus and waited for all members to filter in became extremely lively and animated. It was, in fact, the closest approximation I have seen to the sort of aftermath of club hikes that occurred before the pandemic began. So it might be said (perhaps somewhat hyperbolically) that I have plucked victory from the jaws of defeat. In any case, I was well-satisfied with the outcome.
During all of this I have not been following the headlines to any great extent; and I’m not sure, from glancing at them this evening, that they are worth much attention.
There is some encouraging news. COVID deaths have decreased by almost 90% since February, according to the WHO. Nine months ago, about 75,000 died from COVID on a weekly basis; this week’s death toll was 9,400. If we can maintain this diminished rate over the winter season, the pandemic be fairly said to be at an end.
The upsurge in fentanyl use, and in fentanyl overdosing in particular, has prompted one city to propose more stringent legislation against its dealers. Currently the maximum sentence in California law for anyone who sells fentanyl is three years. Todd Gloria, the mayor of San Diego, announced plans to pursue state legislation to enhance sentences when the dealing of fentanyl results in death. The proposed change in legislation would charge those who sell fentanyl would be charged with murder when such deals result in death. It seems an eminently sensible proposal. The amount of overdoses is growing dramatically. The number of fentanyl overdose deaths in San Diego was 825 between January and June of this year. The death count was 84 five years ago.
Among a certain political party, the wolves are beginning to devour each other – or rather, one wolf is snarling and baring its teeth, while the other refuses to play. Donald Trump has in the past couple of weeks spoken about Ron DeSantis with his usual freedom and candor, calling him “DeSanctimonious,” accusing him of disloyalty (which is, of course, the ultimate crime in Trump’s eyes), and denouncing him for not displaying the usual response of gratitude for unkindness that Trump has come to expect from his followers. For all of the differences between them, DeSantis is following the same strategy that Biden pursued during the 2020 election: allowing Trump to condemn himself out of his own mouth, while remaining obstinately unresponsive to Trump’s provocations. It does indeed appear to be a strategy that is virtually foolproof, and why some of Trump’s other competitors have not used it is something of a mystery.
In the meantime Trump’s younger daughter Tiffany has tied the knot with Michael Boulos, a Lebanese businessman, at the far-famed family residence in Mar-a-Lago. Originally the wedding was set to be on a lavish scale, with 500 guests invited. The damage caused to Florida neighborhoods by Hurricane Nicole forced them to scale back and reduce the guest list to a mere 250. Well, one can’t have everything.
Today’s statistics as of 9:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 640,345,263; # of deaths worldwide: 6,615,396; # of cases U.S.: 99,898,467; # of deaths; U.S.: 1,100,127.