Hikes along the Potomac – Venezuela’s dismal economics – Contradictory ebb and flow in the pandemic – Evening statistics
Yesterday I went with RS to explore another route leading from the bank of the Potomac to Buzzard Rock and back down again. Buzzard Rock is over 1000 above the river bank and there are no defined trails leading to it, so that bushwhacking can run into very steep climbs over large quantities of underbrush and deadfall, as well numerous rock walls. The route we went today, however, worked out much better than previous ventures. Both ascent and descent were steep, to be sure, but they were better graded than the ones we selected earlier and several areas contained footpaths that, though not officially trails, had obviously been used by others. I am glad that RS hit on such a route, for the views at Buzzard Rock and Eagle Point (another overlook on the ridge above the river) are well worth seeing, with a bird’s-eye view of Sandy Hook and the numerous little islands in that segment of the Potomac, as well as the cliffs of Weverton on the opposite side of the river. It may be wondered why Loudoun County has not made more strenuous efforts to develop a trail system that connects to these points, but a substantial amount of the area between the ridge and the riverbank is not publicly owned, and it takes considerable effort while bushwhacking to avoid straying into private property.
And today I explored Crow’s Nest, a natural reserve in Stafford County, to scout out a hike for the Capital Hiking Club. It is not at all spectacular, but it is pleasant riverine forest country, with several outlooks upon the Potomac and various creeks that drain into it. It features several large beeches, with their distinctive smooth pewter-colored bark, and the air was continually ringing with bird calls, mockingbirds in particular. It was an easy task to map out a hike that is 11½ miles for the group taking the longer hike and 9½ for the group taking the shorter one. The latter is a bit long for a shorter hike by CHC standards, but the trails offer very easy walking (no rocky areas, not much elevation gain, no possibility of losing one’s way, since the trail intersections are at a minimum) so that a slight amount of additional mileage will make little difference to the participants.
Venezuela has now been declared the poorest country on the South American continent, possibly the poorest on the planet. About 94.5% of the population lives in poverty and about 76.6% in “extreme” poverty. Once a prosperous OPEC nation, years of hyperinflation and government mismanagement have driven the country to economic collapse. Unemployment is rampant, and there is not much incentive to find employment: the minimum wage is approximately $3 per month, the public sector pays poorly, and the private sector is small. As might be expected, crime has skyrocketed and many countries have travel advisories against visiting it at all. Caracas is considered by many to be the world’s most dangerous city, with 130-140 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants annually. The Wikitravel article about Venezuela has issued the following curious caution to pedestrians in that country: “Traffic lights are often ignored, especially at night, not for lack of patience, but because drivers do not like to stop their cars, as they can be robbed while stopped.”
We still continue in this strange state of being half in restoration and half still being besieged by the pandemic. We endured nearly 100,000 new cases yesterday and 2,000 deaths; today the number of new cases exceeded 100,000. Vaccine mandates are being fairly rigorously enforced by Government agencies and private industries alike – United Airlines, for instance, is threatening to fire 600 employees who have refused to take a vaccine. But Broadway has reopened, after 18 months of closure, and live performances are occurring locally as well. The National Symphony Orchestra will be providing a concert at the Kennedy Center on Saturday and the Maryland State Boychoir will be providing a Bach concert at the Center for the Arts in Baltimore. In many stores masks are still optional. Yet at the same time, when my cousins have told various relatives to reserve a date in October, 2022 for them to be available for their son’s Bar Mitzvah, they were unable to offer assurances that the ceremony could be attended in person and would not consist simply of a Zoom presentation. There simply is no way of telling at this time whether a live ceremony even a year from now will be feasible. Thanks to the dedicated effects of the anti-vaxxers, we are undergoing a disproportionate amount of new cases and deaths, just as we were a year ago: today Americans accounted for nearly 23% of new COVID cases and 22.5% of COVID-related deaths.
Yesterday’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 233,991,413; # of deaths worldwide: 4,787,015; # of cases U.S.: 44,167,777; # of deaths; U.S.: 713,675.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 234,515,580; # of deaths worldwide: 4,796,138; # of cases U.S.: 44,309,626; # of deaths; U.S.: 716,636.