COVID-19 Affecting Your Plans?

J

John Morrow

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May 22, 2015
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Curious if folks are starting to consider cancelling planned trips that don't involve flying. I didn't even give it a thought until I was asked about my 1 month plan of April travel in S UT N AZ. My only concern would be to become symptomatic while solo deep in the backcountry. However, I think awareness and action still should prevent transmission while on the road. Any tthoughts?
 
Unless you are 70+ or have an underlying health condition (diabetes, CHD, high blood pressure, immunocompromised), it's unlikely you'll have a serious complication. Even at 70-79 years, it's in ~8% case fatality rate. Given your activity level, I suspect you are pretty healthy. Bring a personal locator beacon, as we all should for other potential injuries. For piece of mind, you could keep any eye on your temperature.

p.s. From an exposure perspective I'd rather be in the backcountry than sitting in SF, where I am now. :)
 
I agree with @fossana . This last trip, the only heightened concern I had was in the hotel to and from. Washed my hands after touching anything, took breakfast back to my room to avoid the crowd, etc. It's about all you can do and given that most of us are regularly engaging in activities with far more serious consequences I just can't see worrying much about it.

I'm just hoping the virus, or at least the panic over it, blows over soon. The absence of leadership on all sides, and the perpetuation of misinformation and irrational fear, is stunning.

Getting over one or two weeks of being sick is no big deal. Getting over being unemployed and broke because an otherwise healthy economy was wrecked in the process of trying to contain a virus is something that would have a lasting impact on far more people. Between the politicians and media it's like watching a schoolbus drive off a cliff in an attempt to avoid running over a squirrel on the road.
 
Last week Rick traveled to Canada, stood in line for 1.5 hours with many from the Middle East. Took Ubers, had dinner with a friend who attended a big conference. Had a business meeting. 5 days later he came down with a horrible dry cough for 2 days, no or very mild fever. Until testing gets ramped up, we don't know how widespread it already is. It's pretty clear from existing cases, that it's spreading before symptoms are present.

I'm Danish and they just pretty much closed down the country now, assuming 60% will get it over the course of the year. Main focus is now trying to avoid everyone getting it simultaneously. The focus is to flatten the curve of people in need of medical care over time.

@John Morrow - backpacking for 1 (or even 3 months) sounds great to me, bring a thermometer to measure your temperature, as @fossana said. Realize travel back might get restricted at some point. Bring Tylenol and plenty of fuel to make hot drinks. So I would go backpacking. But do you have a personal beacon, Garmin or like? I thought you recently wrote you are not traveling with GPS, phone or like.... That is a concern I think, if you need help.


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‘Social distancing’ comes at a massive economic cost, but it’s now the only way to save millions of lives

Spreading out infections over a longer period of time would enable the health-care system to gain invaluable time to respond to the crisis.
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no!! I go and play like always, spending my summer in Yellowstone. Not worried at all.
Life is short, live it now.
Even though I'm in the highest risk group( immune suppressed, severe asthma, high blood pressure) I'm not worried at all. If I get it, I will get it. Until then I play all summer long.
It's more worrying that people did not wash their hands properly until now. Just saying...
and all the places will be amazing this year with less crowds
 
I just had a local outing in early April cancelled - overnight in an AMC hut with 20+ sharing a celebration dinner. That's just prudent given what we know.

Indeed the fear is irrational. Given all the unknowns, the latency period and rapid changes in distribution, the response in the US has been better than elsewhere, particularly given the country is not authoritarian ruled. 60% of the deaths have occurred in a single nursing home facility. Not having more tests sooner was a mistake - not sure why the CDC had to reinvent those.

Anyway, preparation is good. Panic isn't. If you aren't high risk, just taking the precautions already widely disseminated would be enough to be comfortable starting a solo backpack anywhere. Maybe give yourself a day or 2 to self monitor at the destination before hitting the trailhead.
 
I don't know that I'd cancel plans, but I'll take a different stance and say that I also would be a little more concerned. It can take up to 24 days after you've been infected for the virus to incubate, and people without symptoms can be contagious. From what I've read of people's personal experience with the milder symptoms, it's going to give you a fever with chills, headaches, and muscle aches, and that can take you down for 2-3 days. Then you'll likely get cold-like symptoms after, with congestion and a cough.

I don't think I'd want to be alone several miles from a trailhead (especially in a place with limited water access) if a tough fever hit me all of a sudden. It would be a pain to have to get water while dealing with a fever that lasts more than a day, and backpacking food isn't what I'd want to be eating either. Then temperature regulation would also be challenging. Dayhikes would be more practical though, as you don't have nearly as many factors to balance.

I guess, overall, you can't just put your life on hold on the mere suspicion that you may have the virus replicating inside you. So I guess I'm still not sure what I would do.
 
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Let me tell you a story that will put everyone's mind at ease. A number of years ago (sorry, I can't reveal the exact date), I contracted the Scatman-55 virus. While I know that this virus swept the country, apparently I was the only one weak enough to come down with it, or at least the only one to admit it. The symptoms were not to be taken lightly: the overriding desire to start wearing a kilt, a thing for funny little bicycle caps, an almost immediate need to get to the Yellowstone backcountry, a loss of my natural fear of Grizzly Bears, and the occasional smart-ass responses on various backcountry forums. According to health care professionals, the symptoms may last a lifetime, and unfortunately for me there is no known cure. I'm just going to have to accept my fate. :) Now in order to avoid the Scatman-55, you'll need to do the following: 1. Don't listen to bagpipe music, participate in St. Patrick Day parades, or imbibe in Irish Car Bombs. 2. Stay at least 200 miles from the GYE (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem) 3. Believe all the horror stories you hear about bears, and last but not least - 4. Don't be tempted by all the wonderful backcountry advice, trip reports, weather conditions, and gear suggestions on BCP, etc...... If you you should find yourself wavering and slip up on the recommended guidelines, then this is what potentially will happen to you:

87102
Trust me, you don't want to wake up one morning and find yourself in this condition. :eek:

In all seriousness, I'm not planning on changing any of my upcoming plans. Of course, other than hiking locally here along the Wasatch Front this spring, I only have two organized cycling rides I hope to be doing in May (assuming they are not cancelled) along with some pedaling to get ready for them. Wishing everybody here good health through the pandemic.
 
Very unsure at this point. Hoping not to have to put my life on hold for this, but I think we're still at the tip of the iceberg far as event cancellations, travel bans, etc., are concerned. I'm in an area that has had a few covid-19 cases, and quite a few people under quarantine. Some crazy stuff going on, and although I don't feel myself to be at any great risk, being young and overall in good health, I really don't want to get myself stuck on the wrong side of a travel ban, or in quarantine for a few weeks. At this point, I think my focus is on keeping my job, because I think the economic implications of this situation are going to be unpleasantly far reaching.

If I lived closer to some good country for hiking/backpacking, this would be a pretty good year, at least far as solitude is concerned. As it is, I have to travel across about a state and a half to get anywhere interesting, and even if my own personal health really isn't at risk, it seems like travelling far from home may not be in my best interest overall right now. Or at least until we see how things settle out. Trying to hold out for a little hope for travel later in the year. I almost never fly, so that does help me a bit, but I just want to see what's going to happen before I get a couple states away and get stuck there.

Here's just one example of local events in regard to covid-19 here: https://ktiv.com/2020/03/11/presump...coronavirus-reported-in-knox-county-nebraska/
 
Well, it looks like my plans for spring are pretty much out the window. I was planning to spend about a month in France doing wine speaking gigs in Southern France: the Rhone, Bordeaux, Provence, etc. Looks like those are all cancelled, or at least postponed until...who knows when. I won't miss the gigs that much, but we had worked it so that our daughter could join us for a week---she lives in Geneva. that's probably not an option. sigh. Nice kid, too. It would have been lovely to see her.
 
scatman said:
Let me tell you a story that will put everyone's mind at ease. A number of years ago (sorry, I can't reveal the exact date), I contracted the Scatman-55 virus. While I know that this virus swept the country, apparently I was the only one weak enough to come down with it, or at least the only one to admit it. The symptoms were not to be taken lightly: the overriding desire to start wearing a kilt, a thing for funny little bicycle caps, an almost immediate need to get to the Yellowstone backcountry, a loss of my natural fear of Grizzly Bears, and the occasional smart-ass responses on various backcountry forums. According to health care professionals, the symptoms may last a lifetime, and unfortunately for me there is no known cure. I'm just going to have to accept my fate. :) Now in order to avoid the Scatman-55, you'll need to do the following: 1. Don't listen to bagpipe music, participate in St. Patrick Day parades, or imbibe in Irish Car Bombs. 2. Stay at least 200 miles from the GYE (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem) 3. Believe all the horror stories you hear about bears, and last but not least - 4. Don't be tempted by all the wonderful backcountry advice, trip reports, weather conditions, and gear suggestions on BCP, etc...... If you you should find yourself wavering and slip up on the recommended guidelines, then this is what potentially will happen to you:

View attachment 87102
Trust me, you don't want to wake up one morning and find yourself in this condition. :eek:
Click to expand...

is this thing contagious? asking for a friend ...
 
Now as of late have been thinking of leaving work and running to the wilds here in Northwest Wyoming. If this Covid-19 virus spreads all over the place, then just self isolate myself in the deep deep wilds here in Northwestern Wyoming. Think I would choose to be around the Grizzly Bears then in a town overran by sick people anyway bigtime. And plus I think I trust those Grizzlies far far more then most people anyways anymore. I am at present 63 and am in Excellent Health with No health complications so actually am not worried about this virus. Anyways I would rather be in the deep deep wilds anywhere anyhow on any given day in the summer or whenever during the year then in a freaking town overran by some mindless tourans. Plus in the deep deep wilds use the edible and medicinal plants that are out in the wilds bigtime. There are some excellent medicinal plants that can really help oneself against flus and sicknesses and respiratory illnesses like this one. Yes I am willing to use this virus as an excuse to leave town and escape to the deep wilds and self isolate myself in the deep deep wilds and live with enjoying life in the wilds. In my years of being in the wilds, I have always always felt more connected to everything when in the deep wilds by my lonesome then anytime in a town or city surrounded by people. There is still sooooo much out there beyond the end of the roads. And one can still live that life as the Native Americans and Mountain Men of old knew ... if one is just willing to put one foot in front of the other and go back into those deep deep wilds that still remain. Yes there is a paradise and a Garden of Eden in this world ... it is all that deep deep wild country that exists out there beyond the end of the road where the trails and life begin! Wishing Everyone the Best!
 
I feel like there are a lot of factors and only you can decide what is right for you (sorry for the cop out haha). That being said, my personal feelings are identical to @Yvonne and @Wanderlust073.

I just got back from a 4 day trip in Death Valley and besides overhearing some people talk about it, it was amazing to get away from it all! You are definitely at less risk of being exposed out in the open and with less people around.

While I am not planning on canceling any trips, I am not planning any new ones that require much driving. That is only because saving money is a high priority for the next year and if both of my jobs shut down temporarily, I am going to...I don't know...be hungry haha.

My work trips have been cancelled at the winery, required by my company. My second job at a Farmers Market talked about cancelling, but now they are saying it is safer or shop outside than a confined grocery store.
 
This seems like a perfect time to chance places whose visitation has skyrocketed in recent years. Like Zion, which I love, but avoid due to lack of an off-season, lately. Maybe there wouldn't be so many people there for a change!
I was blessed with a strong immune system, though. About to be 49, and haven't really been sick since getting chicken pox when I was 3.
I certainly don't want to be dismissive of the suffering and deaths coronavirus has caused(as those people and their families have my full sympathy), it's just not something I worry over for myself at this point.
 
That Scatman-55 virus also seems like some pretty serious business. I am already 200 plus miles away from Yellowstone, so I am good there. I will make sure to watch out for any sudden bagpipe music. :)
 
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