Hiking in the southern section of Shenandoah National Park – Sights along the trails – COVID and Social Security – Evening statistics
Today was quite productive, after my being rather inactive as a result of the wet weather for much of this past week. I scouted the hike that I am scheduled to lead for the Vigorous Hikers group towards the end of the month. The route is a new one of my devising, so it was necessary to check it out beforehand. It turned out to be easier than I expected. I thought it would take me about six hours and I finished it in less than five. For once I over-estimated both the distance and the level of difficulty. I thought the distance would be well over 17½ miles, but it is only 16½ at the most. There is a significant amount of elevation gain – probably about 3000 feet – but the ascents for the most part are not especially steep. As a result of this preliminary scouting I was able to get back home by 4:00 and write up the hike description with the accompanying map before dinner. The hike is a circuit via the Brown Mountain, Rocky Mountain, Big Portal Run, Big Run Loop, and Appalachian Trails. The section of the AT used for this hike is 8 miles, or about a half of the hike’s total. It has numerous overlooks, with views of the Shenandoah valley to the west and of the piedmont to the east.
I was fortunate enough to see two colorful birds, a goldfinch and an indigo bunting. Indigo buntings are shy and even though they frequent forests like the ones in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it is not easy to see one. I doubt whether I’ve seen more than a dozen during all of the years I’ve hiked in this region. Goldfinches are somewhat bolder and will visit residential areas without any apparent hesitation. In some years I have encountered them on several consecutive days, but for the last few years I have not seen any and I have wondered whether their population is declining. It was heartening to see this one; more of them to follow, I hope.
Many wildflowers were also on view: starry chickweed, bluets, buttercups (these were especially vivid in the clear sunlight). Pinxter azaleas were blooming in great quantities. Some of the wildflowers that I saw will probably be gone in a couple of weeks, when I lead the hike for others; but to compensate for that, the mountain laurel is beginning to bud and will probably be in full flower by the time I come to these trails again.
The Social Security program has actually benefitted from the virus, for a depressing reason: 80% of the COVID-related deaths in this country were 65 or older. The number of people who received retirement benefits from the Social Security Administration rose 900,000 to a total of 46.4 million in March, the smallest year-over-year gain since April 2009. Even though many are retiring or hoping to retire earlier than they had originally planned, deaths are removing hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries from Social Security rolls. It has already been noted how the pandemic has affected life expectancy as a whole in the U.S.: it has decreased by an entire year, from 78,8 years in 2019 to 77.8 years in 2020. The pace of vaccination has slowed down in recent weeks, on account of the reluctance of a substantial amount of the population to receive the vaccine; but seniors, at any rate, are taking no chances: 83% of them have received at least one dose and 71% are fully vaccinated.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 158,298,857; # of deaths worldwide: 3,295,950; # of cases U.S.: 33,452,659; # of deaths; U.S.: 595,580. We have had fewer than 35,000 new cases today, which is the lowest figure for many weeks. The U.S. is now the 19th of countries ranked by COVID-related deaths per capita, as opposed to being among the top ten for months on end.
The link to the complete journal is: https://betulacordifolia.com/?order=asc