Hiking Responsibly

American Hiking Society has some recommendations during these extreme times.

https://americanhiking.org/blog/hiking-responsibly-faq-covid-19/

Today, I visited Robinson State Park to walk Bubba-Doo,  Came across others do the same, or riding a bike or just getting outside.  We stayed apart, but it was nice to say hi and wish the others "Stay Well."  Trails? Just stay apart.

NPS closes AT shelters on Appalachian Trail

"Effective immediately, the National Park Service is closing all overnight shelters (56 total) and privies (75 total) on land administered by the Appalachian National Scenic Trail Park Office in the states of VA (10 shelters, 12 privies), MD (1 shelter, 2 privies), PA (8 shelters, 6 privies), NJ (1 shelter, 1 privy), NY (5 shelters, 5 privies), CT (7 shelters, 16 privies), MA (1 shelter, 4 privies), and ME (22 shelters, 29 privies)." Source.

So I offer some pictures of these shelters (sometimes called a leanto), for your virtual enjoyment.  Starting with a PA shelter on a rainy morning.

Next we head south to NC, TN

This next one is closed since it is on NPS lands (Great Smoky MTN).

 Virginia?

This is the southern most shelter just north of Springer Mountain.

The following are in NH or ME.

Pretty sure this is in PA, south of Caledonia State Park.

This one is Stratton Pond, VT and our dog Katie.

Makes sense to close shelters since you cannot practice social distances when you are crammed together.

Travel warning to the US

For UK citizens, you are warned not to travel to the US.

And not just for the virus but for terrorism in the US and crime too.  For terrorism you may want to check out our homeland security page for the current threats.

At least you can drink the water.  Well maybe,

For info on the virus, see WHO and the current situation report (67).

Ted Talks Demographics in Recreation

try this one for an interesting video on demographics and recreation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2OUHrujNzk

Liminal Tourist Landscapes

Tourism Geographies Vol. 22, No. 2, May 2020 
SPECIAL ISSUE: Liminal Tourist Landscapes 

Spatial and temporal tourism considerations in liminal landscapes. - Robert S. Bristow & Ian S. Jenkins (Guest Editors) - Liminality, liminoid, spatial and temporal considerations, tourism landscapes, 阈限, 类阈限, 旅游景观, 时空因素

Liminality at-sea: cruises to nowhere and their metaworlds - Bradley Rink -  Liminality, cruise tourism, alcotourism, party tourism, debauchery tourism, South Africa, 阈限, 邮轮旅游, 美酒旅游, 派对旅游, 纵情旅游, 南非

The liminality in popular festivals: identity, belonging and hedonism as values of tourist satisfaction - Lorena Rodríguez-Campo, Fátima Braña-Rey, Elisa Alén-González & José Antonio Fraiz-Brea - Rural landscapes, liminoid spaces, liminal experience, communitas, hedonism, individual changes, festive ritual, A Festa do Boi (Spain), satisfaction, behavioural intentions, 乡村景观, 类阀限空间, 阈限体验;共同体, 享乐主义, 个人的变化, 节日仪式, 西班牙亚马逊复活牛节, 满意度, 行为意向​

Between space and place in mountaineering: navigating risk, death, and power - Maggie C. Miller & Heather Mair - Liminal landscapes, adventure tourism, mountaineering, death, Sherpas, Nepal, 阈限景观；探险旅游；登山；死亡；夏尔巴人；尼泊尔

Liminality in nature-based tourism experiences as mediated through social media - Eugenio Conti & Susanna Heldt Cassel - Liminality, liminal space, nature-based tourism, tourism experience, social media, Instagram, netnography, 阈限, 阈限空间, 自然旅游, 旅游体验, 社交媒体, 即时照片墙, 网络民族志

Liminality Wanted. Liminal landscapes and literary spaces: The Way of St. James - Rubén C. Lois González & Lucrezia Lopez - The Way of St. James, Pilgrimage Landscapes, Liminality, Communitas, Travel Narratives, Liminal Literary Spaces, 圣詹姆斯之路, 朝圣景观, 阀限, 共同体, 游记, 阀限文学空间

Liminality and difficult heritage in tourism - Velvet Nelson - Liminality, difficult heritage, slavery, tourist reviews, TripAdvisor, slave huts, Bonaire, Caribbean, 阈限, 艰难的遗产, 奴隶制, 旅游评论, 猫途鹰, 奴隶小屋, 博内尔岛, 加勒比

South African township residents describe the liminal potentialities of tourism. - Meghan L. Muldoon - Townships, South Africa, race, liminality, apartheid, slum tourism, poverty tourism, tourism encounters, 城镇, 南非, 种族, 阈限, 种族隔离, 贫民窟旅游, 扶贫旅游, 旅游相遇​

Communitas in fright tourism. - Robert S. Bristow - Liminoid, communitas, fright tourism, dark attractions, fear, tourist travel phases, 阈值, 社群, 恐惧旅游, 黑暗景点, 恐惧, 旅行阶段

Dark tourism and moral disengagement in liminal spaces - (Open Access) - Nitasha Sharma - Agency, Dark tourism, India, liminality, moral disengagement, transgressive behavior, 黑暗旅游, 阈限, 道德脱离, 代理, 越轨行为, 印度

Change within the change: pregnancy, liminality and adventure tourism in Mexico. - Isis Arlene Díaz-Carrión, Paola Vizcaino-Suárez & Hugo Gaggiotti - Adventure tourism, gender, Latin America, liminality, Mexico, pregnancy, rhizomatic body, 性别, 怀孕, 阈限, 根状体, 探险旅游, 墨西哥, 拉丁美洲

Transformative landscapes: liminality and visitors’ emotional experiences at German memorial sites - Doreen Pastor & Alexander J. Kent - Liminality, memory tourism, memorial sites, palimpsest, Germany, visitor research, visitor maps, 阈限, 记忆旅游, 纪念地, 重写本, 德国, 游客研究, 游客地图

(thanks to Alan Lew for the translations)

See the entire list of papers at this link.

The vital statistics of America’s state park systems

See report here : https://extension.usu.edu/iort/ou-files/2019_outlook_and_analysis_report_rfs.pdf

American Hiking Society Tips for Covid-19

I like AHS's suggestion since many sites are closing parks to the visitor (like our local Stanley Park).  So here are the tips:

Lean on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) for the most reliable, science-based, and up-to-date information about COVID-19. They update their webpages frequently.

Check The Trek for park closures that may affect trails.

For cancelations of events and closures that are related to the National Trail System, see the Partnership for the National Trail System website.

Try to get outside for at least 20 minutes every day, even if it’s just for a couple of laps around the block or playing with your kids. 

If you do decide to travel to a trail for a hike or go to your local park, please practice social distancing, vigilant handwashing, and avoiding touching your face. 

I like the last two most!

For more info, visit AHS.

Oh yeah, in Massachusetts, state parks are open although visitor centers are not.

Medical Cannabis

Due to the Covid-19, restaurants in Massachusetts can only provide delivery or carryout.  No sit down meals.

For Medical Cannabis (and recreational) you must pre-order to pick up.

Appalachian Trail alerts and trailwide updates

For the latest alerts for the AT, see here.

In my opinion, hikers will probably be the safest. 

International conferences canceled

Several conferences are now canceled due to the threat of Covid-19.

Included are the American Association of Geographers in Denver.

International Association for Society &
Natural Resources in Cairns, Australia. (website nothing, but I got an email)

Tourism Naturally in Germany

and counting...

COVID-19

Travel bans are coming to our campus after Massachusetts' Governor Baker urged colleges and high school to cancel international trips.  Next week, several international trips set for our spring break have been canceled.

Also Boston train system is now undergoing daily disinfection (not that they didn't need it before).

One of my students is studying in Italy this semester and was directed to return home and finish her course work online.  Well we know online teaching, and I do it, is not the same as teaching in place, especially in a foreign country.

If abroad, take steps to keep a healthy space.

So in the meantime, wash your hands.

More spring break ideas

So, if you are visiting a location with a nearby coral reef, better see 'em before they are gone.

Coral bleaching is a major impact around the world.  The UN Environment Programme reports:

Coral reefs are well known as some of the most beautiful, biologically diverse and delicate ecosystems in the world.

They are also vital to maintaining food supply and protecting the shoreline of low-lying island nations.

Nevertheless, UNEP estimates that about 25 to 50% per cent of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed and another 60 per cent are under threat.

Here are some shots to encourage people to protect these habitats.  All from islands in the Caribbean:

Clear water means you can see really deep.  Want more?  Even more?

Might coral reefs be an example of "last chance tourism?"

Night of the Living Dead

Film Tourism.

That is when people visit the sites represented or used in films.  I know Turner Classic Movies offers tours on both coasts so you can ride a bus and see all the important scenes of your favorite movies.

But Evan's City may not be on list, unless of course you are attending the Monster Bash in Pittsburgh, PA.

Bring a friend.  Remember you don't have to out run the zombie, you just have to out run your friend.

Here is the NYTs review  (3 Dec 1968) when the film came out.