HikeArizona.COM

Now that we are living in the era of "social distancing", it shouldn't be too surprising to see some hiking venues closed.

Here are a couple of examples:
* The Navajo Nation has closed all of their tribal parks: https://navajonationparks.org/public-notice/
* The road up to Kitt Peak is closed to the public...here is a pic that a friend took when he attempted to ride his bicycle up to the top: [ broken link removed ]

It would seem like hiking, especially in remote areas, would be one of the safer things that you can do...but with the frenzy that is going on, I imagine that there will be more closures in the coming days

2020, the year that just keeps getting better....

At least we have all the BLM, NWR, and military lands near us.

@LindaAnn
Thank you!

LindaAnn wrote:Phoenix City Council is voting on Wednesday on closing all city hiking trails to the public. This afternoon, I emailed the mayor and seven of the eight council members regarding my thoughts on that terrible idea.

Voting to defy an executive order? I love the political absurdity of using a political process to invalidate political processes.

@Tough_Boots
Indeed, this provision remains in effect prohibiting closure of:

§3.e.iii) Outdoor recreation activities: any outdoor recreation area, park, site or trail that provides opportunities for outdoor recreation with social distancing such as walking, hiking and biking.

And now includes this new provision:

§15. ...no county, city or town may make or issue any order, rule or regulation that conflicts with the policy... or that limits an individual from participating in ... essential activities.

So the only thing the council can legally do is close park areas that do not allow for social distancing.

One could make the argument that this includes all hiking trails in city-managed desert preserves because they all prohibit off-trail hiking, and nearly all preserve trails are less than 6 feet wide, thereby making it impossible for any hikers to pass each other and also meet social distancing guidelines. It's a stretch, but it's also government.

Has the Phoenix city council never heard of the terms "unintended consequences" or "blowback"? I guess we will find out soon enough.

@wildwesthikes
It's a race to the bottom.

Tempe, Chandler and Gilbert (at least) have shut down tennis courts. Notwithstanding the vast area surrounding the 'inside' of the boundary of a court, a tennis court is 2808 square feet. The opposing ends (baseline to baseline) is 78'. Even if playing doubles there is a helluva lot more than 6' between persons.

More alarming is all of the idle* Federal, State, County and City employees (23 million in total, postal notwithstanding) collecting full pay and benefits (& not paying to commute or daycare) during this. (* not all 23M are idle, but just try and reach any government agency on the phone). All the while the 'working stiff' economy is in shambles.

hikeaz wrote:Federal, State, County and City employees

Most of these people are in fact "working stiffs" and their incomes are just as necessary to them as everyone's is.

hikeaz wrote:but just try and reach any government agency on the phone

I spoke to four today. Maybe your rotary phone is broken.

I've noticed a lot of cops and firefighters sitting on their asses collecting a paycheck and watching Tiger King.

Oh wait, I meant pilots and flight attendants. My bad.

Am I the only one who's upset because the people who are under house arrest are getting off easy right now?

@gummo
I've developed a permanent limp from hiking so much with my ankle monitor. You'd think they would be lighter in weight with all the strides they've made with battery design.

gummo wrote:Am I the only one who's upset because the people who are under house arrest are getting off easy right now?

Is this some sort of backwards way to brag about your current light sentence?

@Tough_Boots

Food banks are looking for help with deliveries to shut-ins. I'm sure they wouldn't complain if someone wanted to do with their hiking shoes instead of vehicles.

@skatchkins
Yeah, but how many instagram likes will a photo of doing that win you?

One thing I believe we can all agree on is that NOBODY knows how long and how widespread this pandemic will be. Even the 'experts' have wide-ranging opinions, because there are still more unknowns than knowns.

That said, I would ask everyone to think to themselves:
When this is all over with and we see the ultimate death toll, which would you wish to honestly state?
1. Far more measures should have been taken and taken far sooner
2. It was all overblown and the measures taken were too extreme

While I truly HOPE for #2, in all seriousness I believe #1 will be closer to the truth.
And if everything is opened up again in the next month or two and we move freely about again, my fear is there may be no 'big wave' of infections to hit Arizona fully until a second round later this year due to relaxing our efforts too soon.

Personally I would love to feel more optimism but I have to be realistic...
* While my general health is good, I'll be 70 in 18 days and I've had Tuberculosis and Valley Fever, both left scars on my lungs, lowering my lung capacity.
* Tracey works at a hospital with increasing numbers of infected patients yet not enough masks, which means she has to re-use them.

As a result we must be prepared for the fact Tracey has an above average likelihood of becoming infected and I may also become infected. Further, if I should become infected it is very likely I may develop the more serious complications.

Again, a few years from now I truly hope to be able to state #2 rather than have succumbed due to the fact it was #1. So I will not complain about anything I am not allowed to do during these troubling times...

Let's not be like the hundreds of New Yorkers lining the dock to see get their Instagram shot of the Navy hospital ship as it docked... the irony is hard to miss, how many of them will need to be hospitalized as a result of their stupidity?
Just goes to show the lack of critical thinking which I fear has infected more of our population than any physical disease would.

CannondaleKid wrote:So I will not complain about anything I am not allowed to do during these troubling times...

We need more of this sentiment. It's so infuriating when we have people pressuring unnecessary facilities to remain open and accessible as if being told "no" is the biggest travesty of them all. If you don't know anyone in ICU now-- you will before this is all over and you will wish more had been done sooner.

@Tough_Boots
I wish I'd said that.

Where is the popcorn emoji when you need it?

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/co ... g-11462749