We had a big trip planned here at AJ HQ for back in March. A swing through the Utah desert, some singletrack riding, plenty of gear testing, story brainstorming, and a whole lot of sitting silently and staring at the stars. Seems charmingly naive in retrospect, to imagine the week before we called the trip off, just days before California instituted shelter-in-place orders, with us still thinking the trip could go on.
Now, a bit more than a month later, the idea of hopping in a car and lighting out for unknown hills, stopping in small towns along the way, eating in new diners, buying gear in familiar but new-to-us gear shops, bellying up for a cold pint in a hamlet’s one pub, all seem impossibly distant, reachable but for a hazy fog. And oh, so appealing.
Campgrounds are closed throughout the West, so adventures for many of us have been of the hyperlocal variety. Right now, a blue jay is waging a small territory battle with a feral cat in my backyard, a reminder of the nature that we’ve woven our modern lives into. I’ve discovered trails near my San Francisco home I’d left untrodden, many winding through lush green hills painted orange and purple with poppies and lupins. The surf for us is still accessible, as are many biking trails. This is not a bad place to be at this particular, never-ending moment in history.
But the mind wanders to what’s over the next hill and the mountain after that, and the desert still beyond.
How great does it sound to head out for a river adventure in a strange new land, followed by a celebration with friends at a local watering hole?
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Photo: Mike Erskine
Honestly, what I miss most is the community derived from, and the friends encountered at, the local climbing gym. Looking forward to getting out to the local crags, but looking most forward to being with the people
Man! I miss my climbing gym buddies and my disc golf friends. I’m with you on that.
i second this post! i miss meeting up with my friends at a trailhead and going on day hikes
Have had to cancel a few fly fishing trips with friends. When we get the all-clear signal, I’m loading the Subi with camping and fly gear, canoe and heading for a multi-state road trip.
Can I come?
I’ve got trips scheduled this year for hiking the Faroe Islands and floatplane camping in British Columbia. We had to push our Austria via ferrata trip to next summer.
I’ve been dreaming of graduating college a semester early (Dec 2021) and hiking the whole AT. As soon as the shutdown ends, I’m planning on backpacking my home state’s section of the trail (PA), with friends joining for a couple different day hikes along the way. I’m excited to catch up with each of them while still enjoying the trip with just me & Mother Nature.
I’m dreaming of a backpacking or climbing trip – I don’t really care where, as long as I get to sleep outside and hug my friends.
Planning a trip to Alaska, renting a van, fly fishing and taking as many pictures as I can. Hoping that this settles down soon so I can book everything in confidence.
Kayaking sounds like a safe mental re-entry to the world after this strange social distancing space we’re existing in.
Hike the Teton Crest Trail! On the calendar for mid-September. Fingers crossed.
I’m dreaming of climbing- gym, crag, whatever. I want to pull on something and talk about nothing critical with some fellow climbers.
Right now, I’d be happy just to ride my favorite local trail. It’s actually still open, but it seems *everyone* is heading to the hills now ’cause their gym or softball league or whatever is no longer open, so I’m sure it’s probably slammed right now. Being a 18″ wide singletrack cut into the side of a mountain it’s pretty much possible to pass or be passed without almost literally rubbing shoulders, much less “socially distancing”, so I’m steering clear for now.
Everywhere I normally go to “get away” is now packed. We loaded up our little ones, the dog, and a shelter dog we’re considering adopting, to go for a short hike yesterday, with the intention of getting away from crowds. I picked a spot that, while certainly not “hidden”, is definitely not normally a big weekend destination for anyone but a few local runners/mtn. bikers. We encountered probably a couple dozen people on a fire-road that I’d consider “crowded” if I crossed paths with more than 2 people on a normal weekend.
My daughter and I had to cancel/postpone her graduation trip to NM. Typically this time of year we go camping as a family – it is a little sad, as the weather has been so great. Supposed to be camping at the beach for Father’s Day. I am hopeful…
Catching up with friends be that on a day hike, overnight hike, camping trip or bouldering session at the gym will be the 1st outdoorsy thing I do.
Been looking at some fireroads and doubletrack around here… the MABDR goes through this area. And ordered a few moto bike things to try out.
Just want to get into the woods and not worry about this thing for awhile.
Kayaking on the coast of Maine! Then mountain lakes then hiking along the coast and then hiking in the mountains and then kayaking on the the coast of…………………………………….
Hike/run as much of the CDT as I can!
I want to go bikepacking with friends!
Quality family time in the outdoors. Camping, hiking, mountain biking, paddle boarding. Basically just getting out as much as well can, when we can.
My dream is to mountain bike the Chilcotin Mountains in BC as I turn 60 this fall and I need an epic multi-day backcountry excursion. Wishing you all good health and the eventual resumption of your outdoor lives which will be much sweeter for enduring this pandemic.
It’s a simple camping trip with my family for me. The great outdoors has never felt so great and I miss it so much!! Stay safe everyone.
I’m dreamimg of canoe camping in Canada once the border is reopened.
I had a mtn biking trip to Utah with friends that of course had to cancel and I hope to resurrect the plans
Hiking on less popular trails and still keep my distance. Just because the shutdown ends doesn’t end the threat of a new outbreak.
It certainly won’t involve alcohol. I’ve never felt the need to use the outdoors as yet another reason to get pissed. That’s what Portlanders do. The outdoors is far easier to enjoy and appreciate when you’re not drunk or stoned all the time. I know that’s an unpopular view but that’s how it is.
When you’re raised around alcoholics and live near a city whose demographic is 98% lager louts (2010 census), the very idea of using alcohol loses its appeal very quickly.
What an odd comment.
Not at all.
I would love to be able to visit friends in different towns around BC and go bikepacking, camping – even just give those friends a hug! At the top of my list is the BC Trail/Epic bikepacking route, which might be a possibility eventually if some restrictions are lifted in the coming months.
It depends when this ends. I still have a few backpacking trips on the books this year, so hopefully the answer is backpacking.
Realistically, visiting some of my favorite towns where I like to hike – with the goal of pumping more of my money back into their economy – gonna be ordering a lot of food and a lot of beers.