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The agency that oversees the Appalachian Trail is asking hikers to postpone plans to cover the distance of nearly 2,200 miles (3,540 kilometers) this year due to COVID-19.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy made the suggestion because it believes the pandemic makes long-distance hiking dangerous, the Asheville Citizen Times reported on Monday.
Morgan Sommerville, regional director of conservation, said as long as the pandemic continues, although vaccines are not widely available and there have been no clear signs from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , conservation recommended not to use long distances. hiking.
Sommerville said some 2,000 hikers have already registered. These hikers hike the 71 miles of trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and reach western North Carolina trail towns like Franklin and Hot Springs in March and April when they congregate in large numbers for rest, repair their equipment and refuel.
They also stay in close shelters along the trail. The shelters do not allow for the CDC’s COVID safety guidelines, which include maintaining a social distance of at least 6 feet from those who do not live in the same household and washing their hands often with soap and soap. ‘water.
The Appalachian Trail traverses 14 states from Georgia to Maine and covers 2,193 miles.
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