For the Greater Good

Out There

Willow Belden

Wilderness, Sports, Nature, Science

4.6 • 608 Ratings

🗓️ 2 April 2020

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The wilderness might seem like a good place to hide out during a pandemic. But the organizations that care for many of the nation’s long-distance trails are asking thru-hikers to cancel their trips this year.

The concern is that hikers could spread COVID-19 to communities along the trails when they stop to resupply.

On this episode, we talk with two hikers who have cancelled their trips: Maggie Slepian, managing editor at The Trek, and Allison Gonzalez, who aborted her thru-hike of the Arizona Trail after just one week.

We talk about the ethical considerations that went into their decisions, the emotional impact of giving up a potentially life-changing journey, and some silver linings from the situation.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi, I'm Willow Belden and you're listening to Out There, the podcast that explores big questions through intimate stories outdoors.
0:10.4	Before we get started, I have two pieces of nice news.
0:15.3	First, I wanted to let you know that we put together a playlist for you.
0:20.2	It's called Hopeful Hughes, and it's a collection
0:22.9	of podcast episodes and songs that our team found hopeful or comforting in some way. You can find
0:30.2	the playlist on Spotify. Simply search for Hopeful Hughes. We'll be adding to it periodically, so
0:37.0	check back whenever you need a dose of optimism.
0:40.2	And if you have suggestions for episodes or songs we should add, just let us know.
0:46.2	The other piece of news I wanted to share is that I will be one of the speakers at a live event
0:51.8	tonight. And by live, I mean via Zoom, obviously. The title of the event is
0:58.6	telling it, how stories shape the world. It's hosted by the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research,
1:06.0	and it's part of their virtual think and drink series. I'd love it if you would join us. Just head over to our website,
1:12.5	Out Therepodcast.com, for the Zoom link. The event starts at 5.30 p.m. Mountain Time.
1:19.0	Support for Out There comes from Kula Cloth, a high-tech pee cloth for women and anyone who wipes when they
1:26.0	pee. The Kula cloth was designed with outdoor
1:29.4	adventures in mind, and it's great for that, but I've started using mine at home, too. It's a great
1:35.6	way to conserve toilet paper. For 10% off your Kula cloth order, go to kula cloth.com and enter the
1:43.2	promo code out there at checkout. That's K-u-l-a-cloth.com
1:49.7	promo code out there. This is the time of year when a lot of people usually begin through hikes.
2:14.5	The Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail.
2:19.7	All of these long-distance footpaths are typically busy in the springtime as hikers get
2:24.8	started on their journeys. But this year, many hikers are quitting before they even start.
	...

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