Hiking on the Rocky Branch and Neighbor Mountain Trails – The status of COVID hospitalizations and deaths locally – Rudy Giuliani wins new nominations, but not the kind he desires – Evening statistics
The hike on which I accompanied AD and RH today was somewhat more well-defined than the one I attempted on Tuesday. We started from Beahm’s Gap, first going down the Rocky Branch Trail to the end of the park and then backtracking and going to the junction with the Hull School Trail at the other end. From there we ascended to the Byrd’s Nest shelter, where we had lunch, and continued along Neighbor Mountain Trail to the mountain summit. Then we backtracked again to the junction with the Appalachian Trail and went a little over a mile on the AT back to Beahm’s Gap: about 12 miles and 2700 feet of elevation gain. The weather was perfect: in the high fifties, with no wind or rain, not cold enough to chill and not warm enough to make one perspire overmuch on the steeper ascents. I have not been on the Rocky Branch Trail for years, and even the Neighbor Mountain Trail was last visited three or four years ago, so these were practically like new trails for me. And I don’t believe that I’ve ever been on the Neighbor Mountain Trail at this time of year. When the foliage has not yet appeared, there are glimpses of the valley below on both sides of the trail. The Rocky Branch Trail has fewer views to offer, but it skirts by an old cemetery (there are several of these in Shenandoah National Park, which was farmland at one time) and towards its terminus at the park boundary, where it borders private property, it features a pond that the landowner’s cattle use as a watering hole. We were a group of six in all, and we went at a fairly good pace. We left after 9:00 and returned well before 2:00. At the summit of Neighbor Mountain we met two others who arrived at Beahm’s Gap rather later than we did and who took a modified version of the hike, going up Neighbor Mountain but omitting the there-and-back on the Rocky Branch Trail. And of course, good Wanderbirds that we are, we concluded by drinking and snacking and conversing comfortably together. How much these casual gatherings out of doors have sustained me over the past several months! The tone of this journal would have been much gloomier without them.
The numbers for COVID hospitalizations in DC, Maryland, and Virginia have been declining, although we’re not out of the woods yet. Maryland had 1,101 new cases today, the first time it has had more than 1,000 in a day since February 19th. However, the increase in hospitalizations (about 50) is still relatively low. Virginia had more than 900 new cases today, but the weekly case average had decreased by 96. DC reported 150 new coronavirus cases today, with two new deaths. This month, hospitalizations have dipped to 150 several times, which previously hadn’t been noted since November. In general, our region has fared better than the national average. Maryland, Virginia, and DC rank, respectively, 44th, 42nd, and 45th among states in infection rate and 32nd, 37th, and 28th in mortality rate. Probably DC would have fared even better if so many super-spreader events had not emanated from the White House.
The ultimate fate of Rudy Giuliani with respect to the suit from Dominion Voting Systems – which, if goes against him, could impoverish him for life – remains to be seen; but in the meantime he can console himself for having secured an unexpected new claim to fame. The Golden Raspberries (affectionately known as “Razzies”) has announced its nominations for the worst film performers of the year, and Giuliani has been awarded two of them, both of which are based in his appearance in the latest Borat film: first, as Worst Supporter Actor in his role of “Rudy Giuliani as Himself” and second, as Worst Screen Combo, in conjunction with Maria Bakalova, who played the interviewer whom he tried to grope. In this second contest he is admittedly up against some stiff competition, seeing that the other nominees include “Robert Downey and His Utterly Unconvincing ‘Welsh’ accent” in the remake of Doolittle. I have confidence, however, that Giuliani will receive the distinction that he fully deserves.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 120,035,427; # of deaths worldwide: 2,658,887; # of cases U.S.: 30,043,499; # of deaths; U.S.: 546,567.