Evening statistics – Driving early in moonlight – The “Redbud” hike – Boris Johnson – Removal of a parasite – Yaakov Litzman – Rand Paul – Reluctance of black men to wear masks – John Prine
Today’s statistics as of 6:00 PM — # of cases worldwide: 1,415,415; # of deaths worldwide: 81,200; # of cases U.S.: 386,617; # of deaths U.S.: 12,285. The number of active cases in China has fallen to below 2,000. But in Spain and Italy they continue to increase, albeit somewhat less rapidly than before. The totals in France and Germany have also spiraled.
I had to get up early to drive to a hike today. It was still dark and the moon was visible. It was a full moon, somewhat yellow in color, almost golden but with overtones of pink.
The hike I completed was the “Redbud” hike with the Vigorous Hikers. It has a somewhat interesting history. For many years the PATC sponsored a 32-mile hike in the Massanuttens called the “Dogwood.” In those days I did not feel confident enough to hike such a distance, but one year I decided that, although I could not participate that year because of schedule conflicts, I would enter myself for the event on the following year. But there was no event for the following year; one of the hikers died from a fall in the event and although she, along with every other participant, had signed a waiver, her widower threatened to sue the PATC if they sponsored another such event. So it was dropped.
The Vigorous Hikers club thereupon decided to take it up, albeit in a modified form. For many years it set up a long hike called the “Redbud”, which generally consisted of starting from one end of the Catoctin Trail and ending at the other: 26 miles in all. However, that route was not feasible this year, since it would have required a shuttle. Instead, we did a route in the Great North Mountain area, starting and ending at the Bucktail parking area: about 8½ miles on the Long Mountain Trail to Rte. 591, about 2 miles on Rte. 591 to the Tibbett Knob Trail, about 2 miles on the Tibbett Knob Trail to Wolf Gap, about 6 miles on the Mill Mountain Trail to the Tuscarora Trail, about 1½ miles on the Tuscarora Trail to the Halfmoon Trail, about 2 miles on the Halfmoon Trail to the Bucktail Cutoff Trail, and about 3 miles on the Bucktail Cutoff Trail back to the parking lot – about 25 miles total, with about 5000 feet elevation gain. For those who (as I did) added the scramble up to Big Schloss, an additional half-mile of distance and nearly 200 feet of elevation gain should be factored in. As with the hike in Pennsylvania five days earlier, I had an uneasy feeling that we were adhering to the letter of the law rather than the spirit. We are allowed to go out for exercise and recreation, and there are no limits set on the distance we may drive to obtain it or the amount of time we spend outside for the purpose. But I think that if Ralph Northam were aware that I and the others drove 1½ -2½ hours to a trailhead and then proceeded to hike 8 to 11 hours on end, he would not approve. And yet we certainly were practicing social distancing; there were only eight of us and we rapidly dispersed, since we go at different paces; and we were hiking on trails that were not heavily used; in all of that distance I saw only six other hikers who were not part of our group. But in California going outside for recreational activity has now fallen under the ban; it is not out of the question that the Mid-Atlantic states will follow suit.
Boris Johnson continues to be in critical condition. His symptoms are serious but he is considered stable.
Thomas Muddle – er, Modly – has been ousted for the very thing he accused Brett Crozier of doing: publicly leaking an audio of his profanity-laced address to the USS Theodore Roosevelt crew, in which he called Crozier “stupid” for elevating the issue of the effects of the virus on the crew to the media. The difference, of course, is that Crozier was motivated by concern for the health of the men for whom he felt responsible, whereas Modly’s motives consisted mainly of desiring to earn brownie points from President Trump, who evidently is his tutor in manners. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that sheer personal spite was a factor as well. The outraged reaction from the crew, the media, and the Congressional representatives was so intense as to make it clear even to him that he was no longer wanted by anyone, in any capacity. This news is well enough as far as it goes – it certainly is good to know that this destructive barnacle has been scraped off of the deck once and for all – but who is to compensate Crozier for the loss of his command, the blighting of his career, and the public humiliation he has received from the President of the United States?
Yaakov Litzman, the Israeli health minister, claimed that the coronavirus is a divine punishment for the sin of homosexuality. He has since been diagnosed with the virus. I can only infer that his love life is more varied than is generally supposed.
Rand Paul has become the first senator to test positive for the coronavirus. He has since recovered and is doing volunteer work at the hospital where he was treated; he was a doctor before he became a politician. His father, who is also a doctor, claimed that the coronavirus is a hoax. The virus has since infected nearly 400,000 people in this country alone. I wish some of my hoaxes were as effective.
Several black men are reluctant to wear masks, because when they do people assume that they contemplating a hold-up or some other crime. We have not as a nation made much progress in racial relations.
John Prine died today from the virus. I noted his contracting of the virus a little over a week ago; it can wreak its destruction with horrifying speed.