This year, I was hoping to tackle the 2650-mile Pacific Crest Trail to combine my love of storytelling with my insatiable mountain appetite. I was looking towards the future with excitement and anticipation, imagining walking from Canada to Mexico on the Western slopes. Just as a map-work of my own desires was set before me, the universe pulled the rug from beneath my feet. Covid-19 happened.
What The Experts Say About Outdoor Recreation and Covid-19
I recently spoke with Scott Wilkinson, the Director of Communications and Marketing for the Pacific Crest Trail Association. He shared that the PCTA doesn’t support anyone who’s choosing to thru-hike right now. In fact, due to the risk that’s associated with traveling through vulnerable mountain towns, the PCTA is asking long-distance backpackers to delay or cancel their thru-hikes. This stance isn’t new. But it puts a concrete boundary around social responsibility. And organizations like this one are starting to enforce their positions by pulling information regarding trail closures from their websites.
Due to the short hiking window for an undertaking like the PCT, it’s likely that the entire season will be impacted by Covid-19. But no one knows exactly when we’ll emerge from our Covid stupor or what the world will look like on the other side. But we do know that walking across the country puts small mountain towns at risk for contracting Covid-19. And many of those towns aren’t equipped to handle the outbreak.
Looking Towards the Future
Across the globe jobs, gyms and social circles are pausing operations to fight the virus. The disarray and confusion seems to be a common experience. Everyone is picking up the pieces of an imagined future. But maybe, rather than looking at it like a massive economic loss, we can approach this global hiatus like a rebirth.
The realization that 2020 might not be the year to complete the PCT came with a lot of resistance at first. It’s still unclear how the coming months will play out for me. But I’ve been thinking alot about what we can learn from the pandemic. If I take a moment to peer through the pieces of my original plan, what will I find? Is my ego larger than my sense of compassion? Why did I want to undertake the 2650-mile trail to begin with? And if I can still hike it, will I?
I think that we find meaning through different mediums, and the mountains have always been mine. But I don’t want to wield their power at the risk of costing someone else their safety. I have no idea how I’m going to restructure my future after the Covid-19 era.
But while we’re sitting in stillness, waiting for the chaos to settle, this might be a good time to revisit ourselves. Why do we do what we do, anyways? Are we living in alignment with ourselves? Do we let other people’s opinions seep into our plans, causing us to wax or wane? And while we’re observing the changes across the globe, is it possible to catch glimpses of our identities in the wreckage?
Finally, do we want the world to return to its original form when Covid-19 ends? Or are we ready to recreate ourselves along with the shape of society?
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