Nice post, BFR.
Caltopo.com has been displaying a warning the last few days. It says to stay near home, don’t do anything too challenging, and stay away from other people. That makes sense. If you live in New York, you probably need to barricade yourself in your apartment. That seems like overkill for sparsely populated Nevada and the Eastern Sierra.
I’ve been skiing on Relay Peak and Mt. Houghton all season. I drive up, get my boots on, and start skinning up before any of the “snow bunnies” can get near me. Sometimes, I don’t see another person the whole day. I rarely see another person within 50 yards until I get back to the car. I throw my gear in the back and leave within 90 seconds. If I have a partner, we drive separate cars and remind each other that “if I can reach you with my ski pole, you’re too close.” We’re usually at least 30 feet apart.
I’ve also started working on the Tahoe Ogul List. I’ve passed a few people on wide trails near the trailhead. I saw four snowmobiles yesterday. I still haven’t seen another hiker or skier on the four peaks I’ve climbed. And I’m maintaining my sanity and fitness.
We have a friend who works in a dental office and keeps her horse at our place. If I get the virus, it’ll probably be because she used our bathroom when she came to visit her horse, or because my wife went grocery shopping. I don’t think It’ll be because I went backcountry skiing.
