WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

Page 16 of 25 FirstFirst ... 6 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ... LastLast
Results 301 to 320 of 486
  1. #301
    Registered User GaryM's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-01-2017
    Location
    Bradenton, Fl.
    Posts
    140

    Default Trail opening end of month?

    It looks like Ga. NC. Tn. will be opening up on the 29th and 30th of this month. Has anyone heard otherwise? Any idea if this will include the trail?
    Va. won't be opening until 10Jun. Further north I haven't looked at.
    Also does anyone here plan on hitting the trail then or very soon after?
    ETA;
    Also seeing 15May for Cherokee NF.
    Last edited by GaryM; 04-15-2020 at 18:56. Reason: Added data
    ./~Hi ho, hi ho, it's up the trail I go ./~

  2. #302

    Default

    Pisgah NF announced massive trail and shelter closings yesterday that run into mid-August. Not certain if that means the AT itself, but many of the shelters are in that announcement. I think we will see a hodge podge of openings over the next couple of months and some areas may not re-open at all this summer. I don't have any inside knowledge, just expect it to be a cluster as there are a large number of entities involved.

    I wouldn't bet on NC opening at the end of this month. There are some areas that probably need at least mid-May. However, the 11 counties that border TN and the tip of SW VA have only 33 reported cases and only 1 death. Hard to explain why Pisgah closed so many trails in those areas.

  3. #303

    Default

    A one sized fits all approch is the easiest. Instead of closing campsites and popular trailheads, it's easier just to shut the whole thing down and be done with it. It seems to me an effort to keep tourists away from the hinterland. I'm sure the locals who like to hike know where to go.

    I don't know about the Pisgah area, but here in the Whites a summer without tourists will be tough on the economy. Same with every other trail town. That loss has to be balanced against the health risks. The longer the virus can be kept out of here, the better the chances it never will arrive.

    So, on this BRP trail where you only saw 3 people, how many would have been there in normal times on a pleasant spring day (adjusting for it being a Tuesday)?
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  4. #304
    I plan, therefore I am Strategic's Avatar
    Join Date
    08-18-2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Age
    62
    Posts
    380
    Images
    52

    Default

    Don't bet on NC being open before mid June at the absolute earliest. The governor's stay-at-home order runs through May 15 right now and the likelihood is that it will be extended, not cut back. NC still hasn't hit the top of the curve yet, so any idea that social distancing will be eased soon is wishful thinking. The very fact of social distancing is why the western counties haven't seen worse effects, but any easing of restrictions would undo that in short order.

    I know we all want to get out there, but public health dictates that we wait this out and not contribute to further spread or, goodness knows, a second wave. That's what's looking like it's going to shape up in China right now and as any epidemiologist will tell you, that's usually worse than the initial wave. Be careful, be safe, and wait it out no matter how hard it is to stay off trail.
    Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.
    Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

  5. #305
    Registered User
    Join Date
    03-10-2017
    Location
    Washington, DC
    Age
    49
    Posts
    239

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Strategic View Post
    I know we all want to get out there, but public health dictates that we wait this out and not contribute to further spread or, goodness knows, a second wave. That's what's looking like it's going to shape up in China right now and as any epidemiologist will tell you, that's usually worse than the initial wave. Be careful, be safe, and wait it out no matter how hard it is to stay off trail.
    Japan is on it's second wave, China may well be, but they are less transparent about their data. Source: my wife, an immunologist at the NIH, sitting next to me.
    I think the next 30 days for the US are crucial, but I fear that once the shelter at home protocols are lifted, you will see people swarm the trailheads again. It's very, very frustrating to keep sitting at home, but as someone that has exhibited mild symptoms of the virus, I'm doing what it takes to stay away from everyone.

  6. #306
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
    Join Date
    12-12-2002
    Location
    Marlboro, MA
    Posts
    7,145
    Journal Entries
    1
    Images
    1

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    The longer the virus can be kept out of here, the better the chances it never will arrive.

    It has already reached Randolph.

  7. #307
    Registered User
    Join Date
    03-10-2017
    Location
    Washington, DC
    Age
    49
    Posts
    239

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Lone Wolf View Post
    tell that to the hikers that are coming through Damascus daily and the hostels that aid and abet them. a selfish lot
    Let me guess, Broken Fiddle is flourishing.....

  8. #308
    Registered User
    Join Date
    11-20-2002
    Location
    Damascus, Virginia
    Age
    65
    Posts
    31,349

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Crushed Grapes View Post
    Let me guess, Broken Fiddle is flourishing.....
    and larry...

  9. #309

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rickb View Post
    It has already reached Randolph.
    Yep, maybe. It's possible that person isn't actually in town, but the dot showed up here because Randolph is their primary address. Word around town is the test was done outside the area, which does point to the possibility they are somewhere else. But due to privacy laws, we don't know for sure.

    We have a lot of "summer people", who are already starting to drift into town. They are strongly encouraged to stay isolated for at least 2 weeks after they arrive. Not sure what would happen if they did show symptoms in that time period. I don't think we currently have the capacity to test anyone here and we definitely don't have the capacity to treat anyone with complications. It is making us year round residents a little nervous.

    The wild card is still the tourists, since they can't be contained.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  10. #310
    Registered User 4eyedbuzzard's Avatar
    Join Date
    01-02-2007
    Location
    DFW, TX / Northern NH
    Age
    67
    Posts
    8,143
    Images
    27

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    ...The real question is what happens come summer time? Will it be like normal around here or subdued or crazy busy from pent up demand? Time will tell.
    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    A one sized fits all approch is the easiest. Instead of closing campsites and popular trailheads, it's easier just to shut the whole thing down and be done with it. It seems to me an effort to keep tourists away from the hinterland. I'm sure the locals who like to hike know where to go.

    I don't know about the Pisgah area, but here in the Whites a summer without tourists will be tough on the economy. Same with every other trail town. That loss has to be balanced against the health risks. The longer the virus can be kept out of here, the better the chances it never will arrive....
    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    ...The wild card is still the tourists, since they can't be contained.
    Spending by tourists in The White Mountains region alone in summer is roughly $350 million. That spending supports over 10,000 jobs in the area. And also generates about 20 million in state meals/lodging and business tax revenue. Just for the summer season. Yearly tourist spending approaches $1 billion with tax revenues of $50 million. A summer without tourists would be simply devastating to the local economy, never mind if it stretched out into fall and winter. The worst hit will be small businesses and all their local (and often lowest income) employees - motels, restaurants, small shops, campgrounds, attractions, etc. So perhaps a more realistic question shouldn't be IF the tourists should come, but rather how to manage their potential health impact as far as keeping "social distancing" from other groups when in restaurants, and perhaps also wearing face coverings when at attractions and when passing near others on trails or when in campground common areas. It's not going to be easy, and there's still going to be economic misery, but local residents - especially those at the lowest income levels - need those tourist jobs in order just to eat and keep roofs over their heads. And that is going to mean welcoming the tourists back.
    Last edited by 4eyedbuzzard; 04-16-2020 at 18:43.

  11. #311

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by GaryM View Post
    It looks like Ga. NC. Tn. will be opening up on the 29th and 30th of this month. Has anyone heard otherwise? Any idea if this will include the trail?
    Va. won't be opening until 10Jun. Further north I haven't looked at.
    Also does anyone here plan on hitting the trail then or very soon after?
    ETA;
    Also seeing 15May for Cherokee NF.
    State your source?
    Check out my youtube channel
    Ramdino Roaming the Trails

  12. #312

    Default

    I will remind you all again, don't go down the politics road folks. Take the trail to the left or the right instead.
    "Sleepy alligator in the noonday sun
    Sleepin by the river just like he usually done
    Call for his whisky
    He can call for his tea
    Call all he wanta but he can't call me..."
    Robert Hunter & Ron McKernan

    Whiteblaze.net User Agreement.

  13. #313
    Registered User
    Join Date
    04-18-2016
    Location
    Clarksville, TN
    Age
    45
    Posts
    76

    Default

    The Governor of Tennessee's Stay-At-Home order is at least until April 30th.
    https://fox17.com/news/local/gov-lee...low-risk-areas

  14. #314

    Default CoVid effects projections...

    I found this site that maybe of interest. It is a very detailed projection of the effects of the CoVid epidemic.

    Check it out.

    It makes it very plain why the trail should remain closed, probably until July for the highly populated areas of the country.

    https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america

    You can down load the projections for every region in the world here, as a zip file:

    http://www.healthdata.org/covid/data-downloads


    Search for your region, but remember these are projections, and this is a very fluid situation.

    Actual numbers may vary from the projections.

    The pdf key will translate the column headings for the spreadsheet.

    Spoiler alert! It can be depressing to read the spreadsheet.

    "To make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." - T.S. Eliot

  15. #315

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 4eyedbuzzard View Post
    Spending by tourists in The White Mountains region alone in summer is roughly $350 million. That spending supports over 10,000 jobs in the area. And also generates about 20 million in state meals/lodging and business tax revenue. Just for the summer season. Yearly tourist spending approaches $1 billion with tax revenues of $50 million. A summer without tourists would be simply devastating to the local economy, never mind if it stretched out into fall and winter. The worst hit will be small businesses and all their local (and often lowest income) employees - motels, restaurants, small shops, campgrounds, attractions, etc. So perhaps a more realistic question shouldn't be IF the tourists should come, but rather how to manage their potential health impact as far as keeping "social distancing" from other groups when in restaurants, and perhaps also wearing face coverings when at attractions and when passing near others on trails or when in campground common areas. It's not going to be easy, and there's still going to be economic misery, but local residents - especially those at the lowest income levels - need those tourist jobs in order just to eat and keep roofs over their heads. And that is going to mean welcoming the tourists back.
    Past two years I have helped contribute to that NH (and ME) economy. Sure hope I get to once again this July once things clear up.
    The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
    Richard Ewell, CSA General


  16. #316
    Registered User
    Join Date
    08-12-2015
    Location
    Newark, DE
    Age
    64
    Posts
    566

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by atraildreamer View Post
    I found this site that maybe of interest. It is a very detailed projection of the effects of the CoVid epidemic.

    Check it out.

    It makes it very plain why the trail should remain closed, probably until July for the highly populated areas of the country.

    https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america

    You can down load the projections for every region in the world here, as a zip file:

    http://www.healthdata.org/covid/data-downloads


    Search for your region, but remember these are projections, and this is a very fluid situation.

    Actual numbers may vary from the projections.

    The pdf key will translate the column headings for the spreadsheet.

    Spoiler alert! It can be depressing to read the spreadsheet.
    I have been watching this data for weeks. They did lower the numbers since the last update. The goal of locking things down has been to flatten the curve. There will continue to be cases and death until there is a treatment or vaccine. May 15th seem to be pretty flat. The trail could be open by June 1 if these numbers hold

  17. #317

    Default

    The only metric we have is the number of people seeking medical help. That the number of cases is starting to level off in some areas is good, but there are still a lot of people walking around and spreading it. We need to see a really significant and substained drop in case loads across the country to feel this is under control. There is mounting pressure from some groups to ease restrictions and open things back up. This will likely lead to another surge in cases, probably in June. I also suspect that early summer is when the rural areas start to become hard hit.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  18. #318

    Default

    So once you "open up," you still have social distancing. Texas is reopening state parks but I think you are supposed to wear a mask. LOL.

    The bottom line is if you have to resupply or come from out of state, you are going to be hard pressed to hike after things "open up."

    From what I know restaurants will have to operate at half capacity for the foreseeable future.

  19. #319

    Default

    The problem you have with the opening up of the AT is that they have responsibility and the weight of lives lost on their decisions. I don't think you will see the trail open while social distancing is a thing because ultimately they will be putting people in harm's way and they do not want that burden.

    At some point when governors open up, they may "open" the trail to daily hiking with a we can't stop you from doing it statement, use all precaution and discourage thru-hiking type activities. I think that is as far as it goes.

  20. #320
    Registered User GaryM's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-01-2017
    Location
    Bradenton, Fl.
    Posts
    140

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ramdino View Post
    State your source?
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzanne.../#5e339f2f61b1
    The Cherokee closure was in the original order and I haven't seen any updates on it.
    This order.
    https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE...eprd725553.pdf
    Last edited by GaryM; 04-18-2020 at 14:45. Reason: Even more linkage
    ./~Hi ho, hi ho, it's up the trail I go ./~

Page 16 of 25 FirstFirst ... 6 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ... LastLast
++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •