February 4-5, 2023

On Signal Knob, then and now – Donald Trump denounces his own achievements – Evening statistics

We had two splendid winter days both yesterday and today.  I was not able to hike yesterday, because I was host to visiting friends; nor did I grudge the time spent with them, for they live over an hour’s drive from me and it had been several months since we last met.  Today, however, I went out with the Wanderbirds to hike along Signal Knob.  This area is a special significance to me.  When I arrived at the age of 40 I decided that I was leading too sedentary a lifestyle and decided that it would be well to transform myself from an occasional hiker to someone who hikes on a regular basis.  For some time afterwards I took to hiking with various groups within the PATC or to hiking on my own, tracing out routes from a book about the trails in Shenandoah National Park.  But although the benefits of the exercise were unquestionable, my knowledge of the area remained limited and as time passed I was puzzled as to how to diversify the hikes I undertook and range abroad further.  In time some colleagues of mine, aware of my interest in hiking, as a birthday present gave me a book that described 50 hikes in Virginia.  Upon looking through it and reading the descriptions, the one at Signal Knob seemed at once interesting and easy to drive to; the trailhead is slightly over an hour’s driving time from my house.  This hike was accordingly the first one in the book that I attempted.  It struck me as being quite difficult then, although it does not seem so to me now; but the day on which I ventured it was beautifully fine and clear, and this hike might be said to be the beginning of the time that I became a dedicated hiker.

Today, it is true, we did not follow the exact route described in the book.  It is a modification, which I have also done in the past.  The original hike is a counterclockwise loop (it can be done in the clockwise direction as well, but that is not as satisfactory, since in that direction the rockier and more difficult part of the circuit is reached after several miles of exertion, when one is already in the mood for the hike to come to end) that leads to Signal Knob, then goes down a fire road and turns on the Tuscacora Trail to a junction with the Massanutten Trail, leading back to the trailhead.  On this occasion we went to Signal knob, but then backtracked to an earlier junction with the Meneka Peak Trail, which goes over the peak to meet with the Tuscacora Trail before resuming the loop.  There is no real overlook at Meneka Peak, but at this time of year views to the valley below are easy to obtain; and in the strange clarity of the air and with the odd position of the sunbeams slanting downwards, the tops of mountains on the far side of the valley appeared truly blue, almost of the pigment that is sometimes called Prussian blue, as opposed to the vague adjective carelessly slung about by poets. 

This following news item is not exactly a national health issue, but COVID is certainly at the center of it.  In an effort to denigrate Ron DeSantis, Trump has dubbed him as one who “Loved the Vaccines,” seemingly forgetful of the fact that his own administration promoted the “warp speed” development of the COVID vaccines and that he was quite anxious to take credit for them just as recently as a few months ago.  Indeed, the rapid development and deployment of the vaccines while the pandemic was steadily accelerating is probably the sole achievement of his otherwise wretchedly corrupt and chaotic reign.  However, if he is so intent on robbing himself of any acclaim now, I am the very last person to stand in his way.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 676,249,453; # of deaths worldwide:  6,772,080; # of cases U.S.: 104,488,837; # of deaths; U.S.: 1,136,313.