Morning statistics – Hiking among the wildflowers – Decreasing number of trails available – Grocery shopping – Evening statistics
Today’s statistics as of 6:30 AM — # of cases worldwide: 1,929,922; # of deaths worldwide: 120,449; # of cases U.S.: 582,594; # of deaths U.S.: 23,649. The number of active cases in China has gone down to 1,170. Italy has had over 161,000 cases, more than 2.5 in every 1000 of its population. And in Spain the count is nearly 3.7 in every 1000 of its population. The virus is expanding in the Mideast; both Iran and Turkey have case counts approaching those of China. In Sweden the number of cases has exceeded that of South Korea, although the virus has been infecting South Korea over a considerably longer period of time. Its death toll is higher than those of its neighbors, which have comparable population sizes. Many scientists in Sweden are denouncing the country’s rather relaxed policy towards gatherings of several people. Similarly, both Chile and Peru have case counts that have exceeded Japan’s.
I was on the AT again with the Vigorous Hikers, a there-and-back from Rte. 55 to Rte. 522. The total was 16 miles, with 2800 feet of elevation gain. We all started at different times and went at different paces, so our social contact was minimal. Also, we were on a relatively little-used portion of the trail, or so we thought. For most of the time we encountered nobody except an elderly couple coming from Rte. 522. On the way back, though, I ran across a dozen people (not all in one group, but in several smaller ones) coming from Rte. 55 – but only within the last two miles. The remainder of the trail had been deserted. We started very early, which may have something to do with it. The day was almost ideal: temperatures mainly in the 50s and fairly sunny, with little wind. I thought that the trail would be muddy on account of the rain from the day before, but there were only a few wet patches. Many wildflowers were in full bloom: bloodroot, blue violets, yellow violets, spring beauties, starry chickweed, wild geranium. Butterflies have become less frequent in recent years, so I was heartened to see a few tiger swallowtails on this outing. Birds were caroling everywhere. I completed the hike in a little under 4 hours and 40 minutes, or close to 3.5 MPH – not too bad for someone in his mid-sixties.
It’s getting to be a challenge to find trails that are open. All of Shenandoah National Park is closed. Even the Dickey Ridge Trail, whose trailhead is outside of the park gates, is off-limits. All of the park visitor centers are of course closed, although some parks, such as Rock Creek, are still available for use.
Because we started so early and the hike was a relatively short distance away from my home (about a 45-minute drive), I had time to do some grocery shopping after I returned. I brought my mask, and also I was handed a pair of plastic gloves before I entered the store. It makes sense – with all of the fresh produce, quite a number of people handle it for inspection before choosing the fruit or vegetable that they want to purchase. When I select an apple, for instance, I automatically hold it up and inspect it all over to verify whether or not it has any bruises or soft spots, and I assume that other shoppers do the same.
Today’s statistics as of 11:00 PM — # of cases worldwide: 1,981,239; # of deaths worldwide: 126,557; # of cases U.S.: 608,679; # of deaths U.S.: 25,992. Today was a setback; the number of new deaths is higher than that of yesterday.