trailtalk
Pandemic Ponderings The significance and shortcomings of our Public Lands
By Craig Romano, Mountaineers Books Guidebook Author
Craig on Amphitheater Mountain in the Pasayten Wilderness. Photo by Ted Evans.
T
he emptiness of Northeastern Washington’s SalmoPriest Wilderness has never felt more comforting. I stand alone on a ridge gazing out over waves of emerald ridges, shadowed by processions of white puffy clouds. Soft, warm breezes whistle through silver snags, prompting boughs of bear grass to delicately sway. I haven’t encountered another human all day; out in all of that wildness before me, some of Washington’s last grizzlies still roam. I finally feel safe and relieved from the ravages of the pandemic sweeping the world outside my wilderness. The irony doesn’t escape me. Hiking in grizzly country usually has me slightly on edge. But here I am feeling totally at ease. For months, I have been wrestling with anxiety and bouts of depression, but on this bluebird August day – the first day in many – I once again feel carefree and at peace. I can’t get sick here. No one can harm me here. And I am living in the moment, not agonizing over the past or fretting over the future.
Reality revealed This has been a hell of a year for me and so many millions of my brothers and sisters. Life as we knew it has been completely ripped asunder by a novel contagion. The ineptitude of many of our elected officials in helping to contain it is just maddening. 34
mountaineer | winter 2021
And if that wasn’t enough to set many of us on edge – add a summer of civil unrest and a growing economic divide, leaving many folks teetering on the edge of poverty. While this year has certainly taken its toll on my nerves, I count myself fortunate. I have a safety net, secure housing, and strong support from family and friends. I have had the freedom to spend many days and miles on the trails, and almost all of my trail time has been far removed from the crowding so prevalent on many of our trails. I have been able to roam the backcountry and reflect – a lot – on where we are today as a society. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought front and center to the American people many of the shortcomings seething in our society. It has clearly shown us how dangerously close we are to losing our middle class and having a two-tiered society where a small group of people controls huge amounts of wealth, while millions live in or on the edge of poverty. Tens of millions of us lack jobs or jobs paying living wages, adequate health care, childcare, access to mental healthcare, shelter, and retirement security.
Public Lands shortcomings The pandemic has revealed many shortcoming in our public lands and trail systems as well. This year our public lands and trails have
