Swatara Gap on the Appalachian Trail – Some relief from the heat – Change of plans for the Republican Convention – Health of Americans generally – Evening statistics
I went along the Appalachian Trail, starting from Swatara Gap and going to the intersection with Rte. 501 and back. It is nearly 11.5 miles each way, or 23 miles total. Outside of the climb from Swatara Gap (about 900 feet) the trail is relatively level; I doubt if I did more than 1500 feet total of elevation gain. But it felt like more, on account of the numerous rocky areas. It actually was a rather frustrating hike. To be sure, I was not seeing the area under optimal conditions. The gnats were very troublesome, seemingly not affected at all by the insect repellent I applied. The recent rain made the rocks extremely slippery and it is evident that the restrictions imposed by the virus have adversely affected trail maintenance. Parts of it were very overgrown, in some places to such an extent that it was not easy to discern the path of the trail. There were some views but the cloud conditions obscured most of them, and of the ones that I did see – they were very well, but nothing more. Still, the hike got me out; it provided a change of scene; one can say that it fulfilled its function.
The temperature, incidentally, was relatively pleasant during the hike (even a bit cool during the early morning), most of which went along a ridgeline. It was pleasant the preceding night as well, enabling me to sleep with the windows open for the first time in weeks. It seems, however, that in the metro area the effects of the rain were only temporary and that the day was nearly as torrid as it has been earlier in the week. It is supposed to drop to below 90 degrees during the coming week, according to the latest forecast; let’s hope that the meteorologists don’t change their minds.
Since I was on the trail for about 7 hours, there has not been a great deal of time to review the news. I note, however, that President Trump has canceled the portion of the Republican Convention that was supposed to take place in Jacksonville, FL. And thus the whirligig of Time brings in his revenges! If the President had been willing to hold the convention in Charlotte with the restrictions specified by Roy Cooper, the North Carolina governor, he could have pursued his election strategy more or less as planned. But instead he insisted on moving the main part of it to a state that was less restrictive in its lockdown policy; and now he has belatedly discovered that that state has become an epicenter for the virus and that most people, including delegates, are unwilling to attend it. All is not lost, however. Delegates will still gather in North Carolina for the business portion of the event, and there they will carry out his coronation, complete with orb and scepter – no, no (begging his pardon) – I should say, formally nominate him for re-election.
The pandemic has uncovered, or I should more strictly say, highlighted the fact that we are not an especially healthy nation to begin with. The CDC has estimated that 40% of adult Americans have at least one underlying factor that could increase their risk for complications if they become infected. These factors include kidney conditions, cardiovascular disease, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. Obviously in some cases these are outside of the control of the people affected; but many others have incurred these problems as a result of an ill-judged diet and an inactive lifestyle. One is reminded of the reflections of Thomas Mann’s Dr. Grabow in Buddenbrooks when he is examining a young boy complaining of a stomach-ache:
“He would soon eat again, this young man. He would do as the rest of the world did – his father, and all their relatives and friends: he would lead a sedentary life and eat four good, rich, satisfying meals a day. Well, God bless us all! He, Friedrich Grabow, was not the man to upset the habits of these prosperous, comfortable tradesmen and their families. He would come when he was sent for, prescribe a few day’s diet – a little pigeon, a slice of French bread – yes, yes, and assure the family, that it was nothing serious this time. Young as he was, he had held the head of many an honest burgher who had eaten his last joint of smoked meat, his last stuffed turkey, and, whether overtaken unaware in his counting-house or after a brief illness in his solid old four-poster, had commended his soul to God. Then it was called paralysis, a ‘stroke,’ a sudden death. And he, Friedrich Grabow, could have predicted it, on all of these occasions when it was ‘nothing serious this time’ – or perhaps at the times when he had not even been summoned, when there had only been a slight giddiness after luncheon.”
The eating habits and sedentary lifestyle that Mann describes as being typical of the more prosperous German merchant class in the 19th century has infiltrated virtually every stratum of American society; and consequently we are even more vulnerable to the inroads of the coronavirus than we need have been.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 15,639,709; # of deaths worldwide: 635,597; # of cases U.S.: 4,169,153 # of deaths U.S.: 147,297. The number of new cases worldwide today has been nearly 275,000. The U.S. accounts for nearly 70,000 of these. We have had another day with over 1,000 deaths. Brazil has had an increase today of nearly 60,000; India, nearly 50,000; South Africa, more than 13,000; Colombia, nearly 8,000.
Fleeing to an obscure and little-visited portion of the Appalachian Trail where one can hike in seclusion for hours on end is sounding more and more pragmatic with every daily report I read.