On the Appalachian Trail In Shenandoah National Park – Encounters with bears while hiking – Prospect of new boots – Mountain laurel in full bloom – A pitiful tale – President Nkurunziza of Burundi – Evening statistics
There were only six of us on the hike for the Vigorous Hikers today. The hike was a relatively simple one, going on the Appalachian Trail from Panorama to Elkwallow and back, perhaps 17 miles in all and 3000 feet of elevation gain. I have been on this segment many times and it would be idle to recount all of the memories it holds for me, but there is one worthy of mention. In the 1990s, when I was just getting back into hiking and was for the most part navigating the trails on my own, I had my first bear encounter. Shenandoah National Park has a significant number of bears; the estimates range from 200 to 1000. When going along the AT from the south to Elkwallow, one hits a turn to the left that is almost 90⁰ and in seasons of full foliage (like this one) it is impossible to see what is around the corner. As I made that turn I suddenly came in full view of a mother bear and two cubs in the hollow below. I started back in surprise and, I confess, with some alarm as well. But that alarm turned to relief when they stepped back likewise. It was clear that they were no more desirous of an encounter than I was. After some reflection I decided that the best course would be to continue as I was, neither slackening nor increasing my pace, until they were well behind me.
I reacted purely on instinct but I later learned that this instinct was a sound one. It is very inadvisable to run from a bear; that is a contest no human can win. Bears can run up to 35 miles per hour. The fastest a human can run is 15 miles per hour. The last thing one would wish is to provoke a chase. There are a few other defenses one can use as well, which I found out about in later years. I have sometimes found that the sound made from banging my hiking poles together may cause a bear to retreat; bears apparently find the sounds made by metal objects rather intimidating. I have had a few encounters with bears since, but none of them caused more than a momentary alarm. I do not set myself up as an expert by any means. My encounters were all with black bears, the only kind one sees in the East. I have sometimes traveled West but up to this point I have had no encounter with grizzlies, which are much more aggressive.
I heard news from my fellow-hikers. Poor BL was not present; he is still suffering from after-effects of the virus, which are affecting his kidneys, and he will have to refrain from activity for a while. And apparently BF, the surgeon who was on the hike I led two weeks ago, had been afflicted by the virus as well, although he had (supposedly) recovered by the time he was walking with us again. Still, I think I can claim that not all of the facts were set before me when I agreed to include him in the Great Falls hike. On a more agreeable note, I found out that REI will be re-opening later in the week. I have at this point hiked nearly 1000 miles from January 1st onwards, and I am bound to admit my extreme gratification that I will be able to shop for new hiking boots soon. The traction in the boots that I currently use is almost non-existent at this point.
The day was very warm, well into the 90s at lower elevations and only slightly cooler in the mountains, and somewhat humid as well. But it was reasonably clear, and the momentary intervals of cloud cover were actually welcome because they helped to moderate the temperature to an extent. The early blooms of spring are gone, but there were many flowering columbine plants and the mountain laurels were at their peak. In several segments the bushes laden with blossoms flanked both sides of the trail for several yards on end; a hiking friend of mine described going through such a display as “walking the bridal procession.”
”I am heartbroken and lost right now, but I have to have faith. Please give us time to work through this, and please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.” Such were the poignant words of Rodney Wheeler, after reporting the death of his wife from a fall off of a cliff at Grandview State Park, WV, located along the gorge of the New River. There was only one little problem: Julie Wheeler had not fallen at all. Not only was she not dead, but she was hiding in the closet of her own home, while her husband and her son planted items at the park overlook to fake her death. It seems that Ms. Wheeler had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge of submitting fake forms to the Veterans’ Administration while she was working as caretaker for a patient. She faced 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and restitution for ranging from $302,131 to $469,983. As a result of this ingenious stratagem, she and her husband were arrested on multiple felony charges such as fraudulent schemes, conspiracy to commit a felony, conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor, false emergency report, obstructing an officer, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and willful disruption of a governmental process.
Pierre Nkurunziza, the president of Burundi, has died at the age of 55 of what is described as “cardiac arrest,” but what many suspect to be the coronavirus. Unlike the majority of other African nations, Burundi has refused to implement lockdown measures and has expelled the WHO’s expert team working on the virus from the country. It has reported that only 83 cases have occurred; the population is over 11,000,000. It is simply impossible to obtain reliable data from the country; there is no reliable independent authority to verify it. It would be interesting if the virus were indeed the cause of death of a national leader who consistently ignored it as a threat. One could wish such a fate on a national leader somewhat closer to home who also ignored the virus for as long a time as he thought he could get away with it.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM — # of cases worldwide: 7,311,510; # of deaths worldwide: 413,000; # of cases U.S.: 2,045,399; # of deaths U.S.: 114,151. We have had nearly 19,000 new cases today. Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah have all seen record spikes. But Brazil is even worse off, with over 31,000 new cases today. Belarus, Iceland, Belgium, and Ireland now have a case rate of over 0.5% (more than one in 200).