Backcountry Forum
Backpacking & Hiking Gear

Backcountry Forum
Our long-time Sponsor - the leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear
 
 
 

Amazon.com
Backpacking Forums
---- Our Gear Store ----
The Lightweight Gear Store
 
 WINTER CAMPING 

Shelters
Bivy Bags
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Pads
Snow Sports
Winter Kitchen

 SNOWSPORTS 

Snowshoes
Avalanche Gear
Skins
Hats, Gloves, & Gaiters
Accessories

 ULTRA-LIGHT 

Ultralight Backpacks
Ultralight Bivy Sacks
Ultralight Shelters
Ultralight Tarps
Ultralight Tents
Ultralight Raingear
Ultralight Stoves & Cookware
Ultralight Down Sleeping Bags
Ultralight Synthetic Sleep Bags
Ultralight Apparel


the Titanium Page
WM Extremelite Sleeping Bags

 CAMPING & HIKING 

Backpacks
Tents
Sleeping Bags
Hydration
Kitchen
Accessories

 CLIMBING 

Ropes & Cordage
Protection & Hardware
Carabiners & Quickdraws
Climbing Packs & Bags
Big Wall
Rescue & Industrial

 MEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 WOMEN'S APPAREL 

Jackets
Shirts
Baselayer
Headwear
Gloves
Accessories

 FOOTWEAR 

Men's Footwear
Women's Footwear

 CLEARANCE 

Backpacks
Mens Apparel
Womens Apparel
Climbing
Footwear
Accessories

 BRANDS 

Black Diamond
Granite Gear
La Sportiva
Osprey
Smartwool

 WAYS TO SHOP 

Sale
Clearance
Top Brands
All Brands

 Backpacking Equipment 

Shelters
BackPacks
Sleeping Bags
Water Treatment
Kitchen
Hydration
Climbing


 Backcountry Gear Clearance

Topic Options
Rate This Topic
#204157 - 03/17/20 05:27 PM Changing backpacking plans/practices for COVID-19?
Glenn Roberts Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 12/23/08
Posts: 2208
Loc: Southwest Ohio
How are you changing your backpacking plans or practices as a result of COVID-19 restrictions?

I've had one actual instance where it affected me. I was scheduled to help lead a beginner's trip of 15 people plus 3 leaders. Last week (about 3 weeks before the trip date) I notified the leader that I was considering withdrawing. I had 3 concerns:
1. At age 70, with Type II diabetes, I was in the higher-risk demographic. (My wife is also in that demographic, so if I accepted the risk and took the trip, I was, in effect, forcing her to accept a risk she wasn't comfortable with. That wasn't fair.)
2. My granddaughter was attending class at a university near us; they had closed the dorms and converted all lectures to on-line, but hadn't determined what to do with labs (as a nursing student, several of her classes included labs.) I wanted her to have the option to stay with us if the university decided to continue the labs in person. If I went on the trip, then found out I had been exposed, I would have eliminated that option.
3. The group came from across Ohio and Kentucky. We had no way to determine, ahead of time, where they had traveled or what other exposure they might have had to the virus.

A couple of days later, I had decided not to participate; before I could let the leader know my final decision, two other things happened. He got an email from the other assistant saying she was withdrawing because her son and daughter-in-law had confirmed cases, and she had been exposed by babysitting her grandkids within the previous 14 days. Then the state of Kentucky announced that all planned group activities at its state parks were cancelled (we were headed to one of those parks.)

So, for groups, there's the consideration of group size, and information about exposure potential by group members. I could think of some on-trail risks (beyond hand washing and not sharing GORP) that groups would have to consider, too:
Are you sure you want to put the group in close quarters by using a shelter or sharing tents?
Speaking of shelters, even if there's room to spread out, you don't know who used it last night. (Maybe that troop of Scouts whose school hadn't been closed yet?) It certainly hasn't been cleaned and sanitized today!
What about that van you're going to stick everyone in for the 6-hour trip to and from the trailhead? Come to think of it, is carpooling really any different?
Will you need to spend a night in a motel (assuming they don't close those) or a hostel (which might be closer quarters than a motel)? What about the restaurants you plan to stop at? (Don't plan on doing anything more than going through a drive-thru in Ohio right now.)

Going solo could pose most of those same questions. So, for now, I've decided to do solo trips in nearby locations: less than 4 hours drive time from me, with dispersed camping allowed (don't want to end up in a small designated campsite with those Scouts!), and won't use shelters. If I'm near a city (and in Ohio, I probably would be), and we don't have information one way or the other about transmission in streams, I may consider putting out a couple of water caches rather than rely on filtering - and might not even trust the water fountains at the few trailheads I might cross.

I don't think I'm panicking; I'm trying to reason my way through all this and weigh the risks rationally. Am I overreacting? I hope so.

What are all of you doing?

Top
#204158 - 03/17/20 05:40 PM Re: Changing backpacking plans/practices for COVID-19? [Re: Glenn Roberts]
OregonMouse Online   content
member

Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Just a thought--water filters do not remove viruses, so you may want to use chemical means. Or, better, double treat (both chemicals and filter)--chemicals often don't kill the parasite cysts (giardia, etc.), but they do zap the viruses where filters won't.

My backpacking days are over, but I do plan to car camp some relatively wild places this summer. I can hardly wait; I'm already getting cabin fever with this "social distancing" routine!
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey

Top
#204159 - 03/17/20 06:18 PM Re: Changing backpacking plans/practices for COVID-19? [Re: Glenn Roberts]
Rick_D Offline
member

Registered: 01/06/02
Posts: 2939
Loc: NorCal
Plans start with evaluating snowpack so not too concerned yet of having a season robbed. Trails will be there at least.

But overall angst about things settling to the point one can have an actual vacation kind of looms for now.

Stay safe and well, everyone!
_________________________
--Rick

Top
#204161 - 03/17/20 07:54 PM Re: Changing backpacking plans/practices for COVID-19? [Re: Rick_D]
balzaccom Online   content
member

Registered: 04/06/09
Posts: 2232
Loc: Napa, CA
Right now we're holding off on a trip to Death Valley until things settle down a bit (both with the virus and the weather). After that, it will all depend on the snowpack.

on the one hand, being isolated from other people seems like a really good idea--so more backpacking. On the other hand, if we're 17 miles from the trailhead and begin to show symptoms, that would be ugly.

Meanwhile, we're taking walks around town, where we spotted this wildlife, clearly worried about COVID19:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pEWCAg8AcrHUq8fK7
_________________________
Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/

Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

Top
#204163 - 03/18/20 03:46 PM Re: Changing backpacking plans/practices for COVID-19? [Re: balzaccom]
Rick_D Offline
member

Registered: 01/06/02
Posts: 2939
Loc: NorCal
He's real, bigfoot is real!

And evidently follows Twitter. eek
_________________________
--Rick

Top
#204164 - 03/18/20 06:53 PM Re: Changing backpacking plans/practices for COVID-19? [Re: Glenn Roberts]
BZH Offline
member

Registered: 01/26/11
Posts: 1189
Loc: Madison, AL
Most of my plans are out the window, but I have been thinking about taking my family camping/backpacking to social distance, get some exercise, and get out of the house and decompress. I worry reservations in a campground will get canceled or we will be too tightly compressed to prevent cross contamination. I also worry the trails will be too crowded to properly social distance. This is California and a lot of people are outside taking hikes for many of the same reasons I listed above. I took my kids for a hike down some cliffs to the ocean last weekend. There were an awful lot of people there frown

Top
#204165 - 03/19/20 12:11 AM Re: Changing backpacking plans/practices for COVID-19? [Re: Glenn Roberts]
aimless Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3292
Loc: Portland, OR
My plans at this stage of the year are always pretty loose, but even before this pandemic I was contemplating backpacking in some unusually remote places in Oregon this summer. I have thought some about the risks I'd be running if I were hiking solo a couple of days from a road/trailhead and came down ill, but if I am asymptomatic at the start of a hike I think the risk is something I could accept. That could change with new information.

By July the dimensions of this outbreak should be much clearer and the risks easier to assess accurately. I'd be a fool to think any plans I make today would not be obsolete by the time the high trails are snow free. All I can do now is play around with different scenarios and hope for the best.

Top
#204166 - 03/19/20 07:41 PM Re: Changing backpacking plans/practices for COVID-19? [Re: aimless]
OregonMouse Online   content
member

Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Oregon has just closed its state park campgrounds at the end ofthis week (when spring break is over, although all the schools are out anyway).
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey

Top

Shout Box

Highest Quality Lightweight Down Sleeping Bags
 
Western Mountaineering Sleeping Bags
 
Lite Gear Talk - Featured Topics
Backcountry Discussion - Featured Topics
Make Your Own Gear - Featured Topics
Featured Photos
Spiderco Chaparral Pocketknife
David & Goliath
Also Testing
Trip Report with Photos
Seven Devils, Idaho
Oat Hill Mine Trail 2012
Dark Canyon - Utah
Who's Online
0 registered (), 170 Guests and 0 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Noodles, McCrary, DanyBacky, Rashy Willia, WanderBison
13240 Registered Users
Forum Links
Disclaimer
Policies
Site Links
Backpacking.net
Lightweight Gear Store
Backpacking Book Store
Lightweight Zone
Hiking Essentials

Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:

Backcountry Forum
 

Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!
 
 

Since 1996 - the Original Backcountry Forum
Copyright © The Lightweight Backpacker & BackcountryForum