Hikers are learning new habits when approaching both villages and shelters
Hiking under an pandemic
Text and drawing by Frits Ahlefeldt. Hiking.org
How do we do it? How do we continue to walk the trails, while keeping a distance at villages, shelters, huts and campfires to stay safe under Covid-19.
There are a lot of rules, from using facemasks, to washing hands, to keeping a social distance when meeting other people. Rules that are not yet second nature for most of us. It feels awkward to nod from a distance, when seeing friends and other hikers after spending days alone.
But slowly a new hiking culture is appearing along the re-opened trails, a culture of distance, where more of us prefer to sleep in our own tent, instead of sharing huts and shelters with other hikers. And where we are taking way more caution when walking into towns or greeting other people along the way.
I am not yet sure if it is the beginning of a new more distanced solo way of hiking, something made even more possible, now we can use our handheld technology to entertain ourselves all alone.
Will hiking trails, campsites, shelters and huts be designed in new ways – Or is this just a temporary change before we are back to sharing stories around the campfire again?
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Hiking.org story by Frits Ahlefeldt. Drawing up how hiking can help us understand reality in new ways
Hiking.org - Hiking Research 