The pleasures of a long hike in the mountains – Display of journalistic ignorance – Evening statistics
I met with the Vigorous Hikers today to complete a near-perfect hike, starting from the Jordan River Trail and then going on a loop via the Bluff, Appalachian, and Mt. Marshall Trails, about 17 miles and 2700 feet of elevation gain. Much of the uphill portion of the hike occurred in the morning, when the temperatures were cool, and even though they went into the 80s by mid-afternoon, the relatively low humidity meant that we could hike in comfort. We lunched at the overlook near the summit of North Marshall, where the views were somewhat hazy despite the dry weather and nearly cloudless sky. Such a condition, however, is typical of late summer. It was inspiriting nonetheless to perch on the rocky outcropping to look over the forest canopy just below us and at various higher peaks in the background. As we ate we were diverted by a raven at the top of one of the trees, cawing noisily as it espied us, perhaps in surprise at seeing humans at this elevation, perhaps out of disapproval of our invasion of its territory, or perhaps it was merely laughing at us – crows and ravens generally having a strong sense of humor. The trails were considerably less crowded today than they were during the Labor Day weekend and we went for several miles on end without encountering other hikers. The last part of the hike presented a feature I’ve frequently noticed on hikes that go up and down the same trail: namely, that the Jordan River Trail, whose ascent was moderately challenging but not unduly arduous, seemed much steeper as I was going down. We were all chatting animatedly on the ride back despite the fatigue resulting from the day’s exertions. There is nothing like fresh air and good earth to lift one’s spirits.
Journalists frequently rush in where angels fear to tread, especially when they work for Fox News. Last month Bret Baier conducted an interview with Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation Secretary, concerning a White House meeting on tailpipe emissions. Baier noted that Elon Musk had not been invited to this meeting and then went on the offensive. “Tesla wasn’t invited to the White House event. Why was that? Was it because Tesla is not unionized?” Buttigieg patiently explained that the meeting was concerned with tailpipe emissions, and that electric cars do not possess tailpipes. Stay tuned for Baier’s next incisive interview, in which he will grill the Secretary of Energy by asking why oil company executives are not invited to a conference about renewable fuels.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 222,604,383; # of deaths worldwide: 4,597,348; # of cases U.S.: 41,107,125; # of deaths; U.S.: 668,168.