The Old Tuscarora Trail – Hiking in Capon Springs – Ordinary activities continue during a time of crisis – Trump on the subject of his possible impeachment – Pence rejects the option of using the 25th Amendment – COVID among the members of Congress – Evening statistics
I went for the weekly hike with the Vigorous Hikers, which took place at Capon Springs near the Virginia/West Virginia border. This hike was of particular interest because it included part of a segment of a hike that was set up by the Wanderbirds years ago: the section of the Tuscarora Trail that goes past the tombstone of the wife of one of the settlers in the area, commonly known as “Jemima’s Grave.” It was a hike well-liked by the club, but it had to be abandoned after the Tuscarora Trail was re-routed. For a time the old trail was fenced off with barriers, but the barriers have been removed and it is available again. I regret to say, however, that it is not suitable for a club such as the Wanderbirds or Capital Hiking; the trail is maintained only in spots, and in some areas it is necessary to bushwhack a bit. The Tuscarora Trail has undergone considerable modification because much of it originally consisted of road walks that were used as a stopgap until the necessary easements could be obtained. The new route avoids about 1½ miles of walking on a road without shoulders and which sometimes had a fair amount of traffic. But it is a pity that the features of the old route had to be sacrificed. Not only is the grave of historical interest, but close to Jemima’s Grave the old route goes through a particularly scenic creek valley that the new route bypasses entirely.
After we left the old Tuscarora Trail we used a combination of country roads, local trails, and a certain amount of bushwhacking to complete the circle around Capon Springs. The hike totaled to about 17½ miles, with 2500 feet of elevation gain. It was another beautiful day, starting out quite cold (about 20 degrees) but warming up considerably in the afternoon. In fact, some of us would have preferred the temperatures to be a little more wintry; in the morning the muddy areas of the trail were frozen, whereas in the afternoon they were quite slippery in some areas. One of the trails, which goes through a logging area, was recently bulldozed, which made matters worse in that respect. But it certainly was comfortable during the time we ate lunch, which we did in the vicinity of the grave. We lingered during the lunch break, and ate at our leisure, whereas we would not have been able to sit still for such a length of time had the weather been colder.
I have no doubt that some people who chance to read this in future years (if any do) will comment on passages like these with some wonder: how is it possible, they may ask, that someone living in the midst of a pandemic and with social turmoil raging in the capital be so concerned with such mundane matters? But that is what happens during a time of long-term crisis: the events that fuel it may occupy the attention of those living alongside them, but they do so only intermittently. Sooner or later, the claims and activities of ordinary life will obtrude. One has only to look at the case of Emily Dickinson, by common consent one of the greatest American poets of the 19th century. Her most productive period was in the 1860s, when the Civil War was convulsing the nation. But she scarcely mentions the war in any of her poems. And I have already referred to the opening of The Decameron, in which, following a horrific description of the symptoms of the plague and how it decimated the cities, the narrative turns to the efforts of ten young people who cope with the stress by retreating to a country estate and entertaining one another with amusing stories. When I first read the work, I thought such a premise rather far-fetched, but it does not seem to me in the least improbable now.
Of course while we were enjoying our hike in rural West Virginia the aftermath of the riot in DC continued to unravel. One item that engaged my interest today was a statement by Donald Trump, his first recorded reaction to the proposal to impeach him. His response was fairly predictable but he included one interesting comment: that the attempt to impeach him is “causing tremendous anger.” And if there is one subject on which Donald Trump is an expert, it is anger. I have no doubt that the effort to impeach him is causing a great deal of anger – of his own. Angry he must be, bitterly angry, but for his supporters’ failure to injure the lawmakers who upheld the election, not for their attempting it. His rage is increasing daily as the day of his dismissal draws nearer and he no longer has the Presidential office to protect him against the numerous charges pending against him, and he needs to be closely watched for that reason.
As expected, Mike Pence rejected the proposal to invoke the 25th Amendment, which means that the Democrats will go ahead with the impeachment process as planned. At least three Republicans have confirmed that they will vote for the impeachment, and many more may follow suit. Numerous corporations have announced that they will no longer donate funds to the members of Congress who publicly praised the rioters before it became clear that the public in general was outraged by the siege. Association with Trump is no longer the asset that it was once perceived to be, and many Republicans desire to get rid of him as heartily as the most left-wing Democrat could do.
Already the siege of the Capitol, which has been described as a super-spreader event, has generated COVID case. Three members of Congress have tested positive for the virus since the rioters entered the Capitol: Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman from New Jersey, Rep. Pramila Jayapa from Washington, and Rep. Brad Schneider from Illinois. The Congress members were locked down in a secured room during the riot, many of whom were not wearing masks. Coleman’s case is particularly troubling, because she is 75 and has had cancer previously. Up to this point her symptoms are mild, but she and the other two representatives have, understandably enough, expressed cordial resentment towards the irresponsible colleagues whose refusal to wear masks has place them in jeopardy.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 91,987,337; # of deaths worldwide: 1,968,599; # of cases U.S.: 23,368,096; # of deaths; U.S.: 389,598.