Covid-19

General discussions on hiking in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest
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Water
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Re: COVID-19: Stay safe, stay home

Post by Water » March 25th, 2020, 4:41 pm

removed
Last edited by Water on May 6th, 2020, 12:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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drm
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Re: Covid-19

Post by drm » March 25th, 2020, 6:45 pm

I think we all get, at least I hope we all do, the imperatives here. My difficulty is this thing about the chance of injury requiring rescue. I doubt I have any more chance of injuring myself on a regular and easy local hike than I do going up and down the stairs to my basement. I went on a short and easy hike today, about 3 miles. No other cars at the trailhead and so of course no other hikers. About 5 miles from home. It was pretty windy.

We had our first confirmed case here in The Dalles today, somebody at the Veterans Home. I think that if locally we get anywhere near the point of overload like Italy, Spain, and now some parts of the US, my hiking would be on my neighborhood roads.

squidvicious
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Re: Covid-19

Post by squidvicious » March 26th, 2020, 2:54 pm

I've been trying to keep a list of trail closures around Portland, as I've found it really hard to figure out. Generally I know the idea is "just don't go"--stay at home, only go out as needed for exercise within your own neighborhood, and only when you can keep 6' distance from others. But even some local areas are pretty hard to keep track of their status. Plus it's good to be clear about what's outright closed (spoiler: it's basically everything at this point).

The running list I have is here
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=28798

techboy
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Re: Covid-19

Post by techboy » March 26th, 2020, 4:25 pm

I wonder if hikers who paid for Mt St Helens permits will get a refund if the ban extends into April. I have a permit for April 17th. Crossing fingers that they open up before then.

EDIT: Found this on the GPNF site:
ALERT: Due to concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19, all Mount St. Helens Climbing Permit reservations from April 1-6, 2020 have been cancelled and full refunds are being issued. Permit sales for the entire month of April will remain suspended. Local managers are committed to the health and safety of recreational visitors and our staff. We are following the guidelines from our agency and the CDC regarding COVID-19, closely monitoring the situation and responding to current conditions.
So I guess that's a yes. At least, up til April 6th.

gallione11
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Re: Covid-19

Post by gallione11 » March 26th, 2020, 4:37 pm

Really hope these get re-evaluated before their mentioned end date, at least for the Mount Hood NF. It mentions they're trying to align with the state parks and the closure is in effect until at least May 8th. Oregon, at least seems to have a decent handle on cases so far, granted, I know tests have been in short supply.

Of course, we haven't seen the bulge that is coming from the beach goer's last weekend yet.

Nothing yet from the Willamette NF regarding trails yet.

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Charley
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Re: COVID-19: Stay safe, stay home

Post by Charley » March 26th, 2020, 6:42 pm

Water wrote:
March 25th, 2020, 4:41 pm
Tko can release a position on a pandemic that got on everyone's radar in the last 3 months and that'll in one way or another have a terminus, but couldn't release one on a permit system that permanent implements access until further notice even with 2+ years notice :roll: :lol:

Yeah, I know it's volunteers but what a funny contrast a hiking org can nimbly take a position on an emerging and new trend that will temporarily affect hikers but can't on a hiking related topic with years of notice.

Call me crazy (and it would be valid) to observe this.. but why can TKO do this but couldn't on the central cascades?
Hear, hear. I agree with TKO's Covid-19 position, so I don't intend to criticize its action. But TKO's inaction on the Central Cascades plan is galling and inconsistent with its own mission statement.
Believe it or not, I barely ever ride a mountain bike.

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adamschneider
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Re: COVID-19: Stay safe, stay home

Post by adamschneider » March 26th, 2020, 9:22 pm

Charley wrote:
March 26th, 2020, 6:42 pm
Water wrote:
March 25th, 2020, 4:41 pm
Call me crazy (and it would be valid) to observe this.. but why can TKO do this but couldn't on the central cascades?
Hear, hear. I agree with TKO's Covid-19 position, so I don't intend to criticize its action. But TKO's inaction on the Central Cascades plan is galling and inconsistent with its own mission statement.
Maybe Covid-19 is a no-brainer, whereas for the Central Cascades thing, they couldn't come to a consensus about what kind of statement to make? After all, not EVERYONE was against the idea of curtailing access to Wilderness areas. (Of course, if that was the case, they could have at least said that, instead of nothing at all.)

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A. Hugh Jass
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Re: Covid-19

Post by A. Hugh Jass » March 27th, 2020, 5:52 am

From TKO's Statement:
While hiking is certainly one of the safest ways to enjoy the outdoors, the risk of a misstep leading to a broken ankle, a wrong turn leading to getting lost, or getting into a car accident on the way to the trailhead are still that – risks.
Sorry, that is not a good argument. And an argument, IMHO, that reduces TKO's credibility. A person is much more likely (>4x) to be injured in their own home than on the trail. And sometimes a unquestionably skilled outdoor athlete is the victim of a home accident. https://tinyurl.com/yx7wfwsb

Use good sense. I am still doing my conditioning hikes on trails. I do not encounter anybody. I can achieve this by hiking in areas not commonly used, and I do it by headlamp.

I completely agree that people need to avoid all trails at this time that have even a modicum of foot traffic. Stay home. However, for those who can be smart about it there are still plenty of places to hike. Take a look at my secret list of places to hike at dusk to night or early morning where you will not encounter anybody: https://www.oregonhikers.org/secret-list
Last edited by A. Hugh Jass on March 28th, 2020, 9:27 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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retired jerry
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Re: Covid-19

Post by retired jerry » March 27th, 2020, 6:53 am

Keep maintaining aggressive social distancing and this won't be too bad:

https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/03/26/n ... six-weeks/

"In the worst-case scenario, if residents go about "business as usual," chief state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger said, there may be 15,000 COVID-19 cases statewide by May 8 (in the range of 5,900 of 26,000) and 1,100 who need in-patient beds, with 250 of those beds being intensive care.

If residents maintain the ban on large gatherings and indefinite school closures but do not practice aggressive social distancing, the modeling projects 6,100 cases by May 8 (in the range of 2,000 to 12,000) and 340 who will need in-patient care, 80 of them in intensive care.

In the best-case scenario, if people maintain "aggressive interventions" like sheltering in place, approximately 1,000 people will get COVID-19 between now and May 8 (in the range of 700 to 3,800), and a "minimal" number will need in-patient care, the modeling shows (OHA did not specify how many)."

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drm
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Re: Covid-19

Post by drm » March 27th, 2020, 9:21 am

Gifford Pinchot National Forest Closes all Developed Recreation Sites to align with statewide COVID-19 ‘Stay Home-Stay Healthy’ order

To align with state and local measures directing people to stay home to save lives, all Gifford Pinchot National Forest campgrounds, day-use sites, trailheads, Sno-Parks, cabin rentals and other developed recreation sites will be temporarily closed. These closures have been deemed necessary to address social distancing guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and the State of Washington to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, and to avoid putting undue pressure on emergency services in local communities. Certain roads leading to heavily-used dispersed camping areas have also been temporarily closed. These roads include Forest Service roads 81, 83, and 90 with limited exceptions for local residents, fire and other emergency response, and permit holders.

Campsites and cabin rentals will not be able to be reserved through Recreation.gov. The forest has ceased sales of permits to climb Mount St. Helens on Recreation.gov for dates through the end of April, and permits already sold for climbs to take place now through April 6 have been cancelled and their permit fees refunded. Reservation and permit holders will be notified via email and/or cell phone text messages if there are any changes affecting their reservation. Refunds will be issued by Recreation.gov for cancelled reservations and permits.    As we work through an unpredictable and rapidly changing situation, health and safety is our number one priority. We are committed to continuing to support our communities, local emergency services, state governor’s orders, and fulfill our mission as we all work together to minimize the impacts and spread of COVID-19.     Forest offices are currently conducting public business by phone, email, or web-based transactions. Latest updates and information can be found online: https://www.fs.usda.gov/giffordpinchot/

The Gifford Pinchot National Forest continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation and evaluate potential impacts. Please remember to review current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and focus on protecting yourself, your family, and your community. 

The Mount Hood National Forest and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area also have closures currently in effect. For more information visit: www.fs.usda.gov/mthood and www.fs.usda.gov/crgnsa

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