December 1, 2020

Hiking in the Massanuttens – A sidereal phenomenon – The unexpected behavior of William Barr – Trump’s prospects continue to dwindle – A sad COVID story – Categories of virus transmitters – Evening statistics

The reports for the weather differed greatly.  I heard that the day would be cloudy and that temperatures would be in the forties, and I dressed for the hike accordingly.  But others had come equipped with more layers of clothing than I had, for they had heard that the temperatures would in the middle 30s at most and that the winds would make it feel much colder. As matters turned out, the report I had listened to had the correct forecast, but I am little surprised at the variety in weather reports for the same region.

The hike consisted of a double loop, both loops starting from Elizabeth Furnace.  The first went up Shawl Gap and descended by way of Sherman Gap, and the second went along the Tuscarora Trail to Meneka Peak and descended along the Massanutten Trail:  17 miles in all and about 3800 feet in elevation gain.  Despite the cloudiness of the day, we enjoyed the hike greatly.  Both loops go along high points of ridges and we were able to see extensive views through the bare branches of the trees.  The second loop in particular displayed distant views of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east, and on this occasion they were indeed a dark purple-blue that seemed all the more vivid against the background of the grayish-white sky.  There were overlooks on the descent of the second loop as well, one that looked down into Fort Valley (an area where George Washington did a good deal of surveying) and the other opposite Buzzard Rocks, the bare rock outcropping standing out and contrasting with the portions of the ridge covered with boles of trees.. 

The last part of the descent along the Massanutten Trail is uneven, going through several areas of talus (debris consisting of broken rock).  But I had been on it before and knew what to expect, and after my recent experiences on the AT in Pennsylvania this section seemed much less strenuous in comparison.

Upon returning home, I learned that astronomers are looking forward to an extraordinarily close pairing of Jupiter and of a somewhat dimmer Saturn low in the southwestern sky after sunset.  On the evening of December 21st, they’ll be separated by only 0.1° — so close that to the eye they’ll appear to have merged into a single beacon. They haven’t appeared this close to one another for nearly 400 years. 

Perhaps this phenomenon accounts for the extraordinary piece of news in the headlines today:  namely, that William Barr publicly announced that the Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of the widespread voter fraud alleged by President Trump and his army of lawyers.  I would have as soon expected Jupiter to enter our own planet’s orbit as to learn that William Barr, who up to this point seemed to be Trump’s creature, body and soul, would defy the known wishes of his overlord to this extent. 

All six of the states where Trump has contested the results have now completed certification.  Wisconsin and Arizona completed certification yesterday; Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Nevada certified their results last week..  Some of the states have Republican governors, who have endorsed the results as whole-heartedly as the Democrat governors in this group.  Time is running out for Trump’s last-ditch efforts.  The states are all due to complete certification by the 6^th and cast their electoral votes on the 14^th.  I have no idea what Trump plans to do after the ballots are cast.  It may well be that he has no clear idea himself. 

There are so many sad stories circulating in relation to the virus, but one of the saddest has recently emerged from Russia.  Kirey Pinchin, a man in his sixties, underwent heart surgery and his daughter Svetlana visited him while he was in the hospital.  Eight days after his discharge he died – not from complications with the surgery but from the COVID virus, which he had, without realizing it, contracted in the hospital.  Svetlana was pregnant at the time.  Shortly afterwards she checked into a hospital to have her child delivered, and there she was diagnosed with the virus as well, having contracted it as a result of visiting her father.  She was placed on a ventilator, delivering her child six weeks prematurely and dying shortly afterwards..  Svetlana’s mother Vera also died of the virus just a week later.  The unfortunate infant is now bereft of immediate relatives.  To make matters worse, Svetlana, a divorcee, never identified the child’s father and the orphan is heir to a considerable estate (including two apartments in St. Petersburg, which are valuable commodities in Russia), which means that a fierce custody is raging while the child is only a few days old and undergoing all of the struggles a baby delivered prematurely is bound to experience. 

The CDC has released specific numbers that identify who ls spreading the virus:

• 24% of people who transmit never develop symptoms.
• 35% of people who transmit were pre-symptomatic.
• 41% of people infected others whole experiencing symptoms.

That is one of my fears:  that I might inadvertently spread the virus into the facility that houses my mother if I happen to contract the virus without developing symptoms.  That is possibly neurotic on my part, but how is it possible to tell in such a situation?  I can’t very well get tested every day, or even every week.

Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 64,177,072; # of deaths worldwide: 1,485,743; # of cases U.S.: 14,108,224; # of deaths; U.S.: 276,976.  Our death toll today surpassed 2, 000.