# Is it foolish for me to go out hiking? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [April 4, 2020, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064 "2020-04-04T16:17:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2020, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/21 "2020-04-04T22:09:56Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > OP, I just read an article on the importance of walking for people with COPD. And of course walking or hiking is excellent for people with hypertension. So DON’T stay home unless you live in an urban area where there are too many people walking to be able to maintain a safe distance, the same issue you have on hiking trails. Agreed. Maintaining good fitness and getting fresh air and sun is important for good health. Just find a way to do so that minimizes even incidental risks. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/22 "2020-04-05T00:12:44Z")
A few years back a woman in my town was killed walking her dog. She was on the sidewalk. Idiot decided to go 100 down a street and lost control. Actually that isn’t even the only case in my town of that happening. Not safe at home, house could explode. It happens. Can’t cook, could get burned. Can’t use any electricity, could get electrocuted. Could jab your hand or your eye doing a crossword puzzle. There are some people who are going to have to go to the hospital regardless. Like the pastor at my church who had a major stroke, Young guy, in shape as well. Just happens. I am not trying to make light, but this is getting to the point of tertiary risk. Ask an actuary. ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/23 "2020-04-05T00:52:34Z")
I think exercise is need however, stop to think about this: You fall over and sprain or break your arm. Do you really want to need medical attention at a time like this? That doesn’t mean you should or should not, but don’t forget to consider all the angles in your decisions. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/24 "2020-04-05T01:33:10Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > There are some people who are going to have to go to the hospital regardless. Like the pastor at my church who had a major stroke, Young guy, in shape as well. Just happens. Yes, bad things happen to good people for no reason, and some people will have to go to the ER for incidental injuries or unexpected conditions. The point is to minimize that chance that this will happen in the next few weeks (or more likely, couple of months) while the ER is full of highly infectious patients and doctors are too overtasked to spend the normal amount of time they would on a regular, non-COVID-19 related condition. I was going to go hiking a couple of weekends ago and decided not to after talking with a friend, and then later heard that someone on that same trail somehow slid off and had to be recovered by VSAR, which meant not only did that guy put a SAR team at risk but he also tied up resources that may be needed to transport and treat other patients. It doesn’t sound like the o.p. is going to do this kind of higher risk hike, and he’s a grown-up so he can make his own decision about how much additional risk he wants to accept (and again the statistically biggest risk on any normal hike is the drive to the trailhead) but just right now is the time to take an extra minute and question whether some non-necessary activity outside the home is really worth the risk to both yourself and anyone that might be impacted if an accident occurs. In the US we are not on the kind of total lockdown they are experiencing in Italy or Spain (after being far too dilatory to address the epidemic when it might have done real good) but many people are taking that to mean that isolation measures are just a recommendation for other people to follow, and that is not a good mentality to have. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/25 "2020-04-05T03:59:20Z")
In the UK, police drones are patrolling for people doing this. [https://twitter.com/DerbysPolice/status/1243168931503882241](https://twitter.com/DerbysPolice/status/1243168931503882241) ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/26 "2020-04-05T04:27:52Z")
I enjoy getting out hiking and bird watching. In Chicago the areas I would normally do this are off limits along the lakefront because too many people were gathering. I’ve found the two large cemeteries near me are excellent substitutions. There isn’t much terrain with a significant grade but there is a lot of open space with very few (live) people. I was out for an hour on two different days this week and didn’t encounter more than a half dozen other people and none of us got within 25 feet of each other. I checked out some of the forest preserves and they were mobbed with people on the trails. Cemeteries are my solution for now. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/27 "2020-04-05T09:19:50Z")
Yesterday the police reported 5 motorcycle crashes in the neighboring canton, with 3 people needing medical attention. In the article they reminded the reader to follow the instructions of the government to stay at home and avoid excursions. It is permitted to go for walks, as long as the people keep their distance, and that they walk from home. In our 2 hour walk yesterday we saw approximately 3 dozen people walking, including a family group of 8 and a group of friends, but most were pairs. We also saw approximately a dozen bicyclists and the same number of motorcyclists. According to the locals, bicycling is fine, but riding motorcycles, except for essential travel, is not. It’s all about risks. The lowest risk is to stay at home, but this might not be the best answer for one’s sanity. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/28 "2020-04-05T10:35:15Z")
Go out at dawn. You will miss the newbies, they never get out the door that early. And you will hear the birds. I took my horse out yesterday (there are miles of trails I can just ride to from my house) and came across four sets of hikers in an hour. Which is four more than I ever see. Luckily, being mounted on a horse kind of enforces that social distance thing even if most of the people weren’t nervously giving my horse a wide berth. At least one set of hikers had clearly barely if ever set foot on an unmaintained trail. Hope they made it back alive. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/29 "2020-04-05T11:25:16Z")
If it applies, my doctor told me I need to take the time to bring my dog out for a walk every once in a while, for exercise and sanity sake. Then again, she also told me to wear a mask. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/30 "2020-04-05T14:05:05Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > I enjoy getting out hiking and bird watching. In Chicago the areas I would normally do this are off limits along the lakefront because too many people were gathering. > > I’ve found the two large cemeteries near me are excellent substitutions. There isn’t much terrain with a significant grade but there is a lot of open space with very few (live) people. I was out for an hour on two different days this week and didn’t encounter more than a half dozen other people and none of us got within 25 feet of each other. I checked out some of the forest preserves and they were mobbed with people on the trails. > > Cemeteries are my solution for now. This is a good idea. There are three cementaries within a mile of me. They are open for visitation, but they haven’t been packed with people like the parks and trails have been. You may not get the best work-out in them, but at least you won’t have to worry about avoiding people. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/31 "2020-04-05T15:10:55Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Go out at dawn. We ran at dawn today, saw only about a dozen people on a 6 mile loop. Last week we ran the same loop later in the morning (still early, maybe on the trail at 8:00) and saw over 100 people in close proximity. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/32 "2020-04-05T20:52:47Z")
I read that using corticosteroids puts one at elevated risk, so that’s another category I’m in. I think I’m deciding to stop going hiking while this pandemic is brewing. Which is rotten because I can see losing a whole year, and it wouldn’t be surprising if I only had ten more hiking years left – 20 would be lucky I think. Fortunately we do have our own house with an acre and a half, so I spent today out in the sunshine blowing leaves and cleaning up forest debris. It’s not like just sitting inside. But I’m really going to miss hiking, assuming this decision sticks. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2020, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/33 "2020-04-05T22:06:59Z")
I have friends hiking well into their 80’s. Granted, they’re slower and taking on smaller challenges, but they are still out there. You don’t stop hiking because you get old; you get old because you stop hiking. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/34 "2020-04-06T02:58:47Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I have friends hiking well into their 80’s. Granted, they’re slower and taking on smaller challenges, but they are still out there. You don’t stop hiking because you get old; you get old because you stop hiking. 🙂 That’s kinda the idea. I’m going to stop hiking to improve my chances of getting old. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/35 "2020-04-06T11:28:00Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Can you find anyplace that’s less likely to be crowded? I’m really appreciating our rural location. We’ve been taking the dogs out into our woods every day, and yesterday we rode our horses. Haven’t run into anyone else in the woods yet. Friends of ours have hiked with us in the before-times and they’ve taken a couple of hikes solo on our property in the past few weeks. They park in a far corner of our parking area, go for their hike, then go home. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/36 "2020-04-06T14:50:05Z")
‘You aren’t getting it.’: farmer urges public to stay away from fields Stranger ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/37 "2020-04-06T15:42:04Z")
broken link ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/38 "2020-04-06T16:04:47Z")
I swear that worked when I previewed, but here: [‘You aren’t getting it’: farmer urges public to stay away from fields](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbUlZYLpfsY) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/39 "2020-04-06T17:51:00Z")
Since OP wants opinions, here’s mine. _Mea culpa_: I’m an old fart with substandard heart, lungs, eyes, and brain. And I’m not out walking our mountain for exercise because snowbound again. But if MrsRico & I _were_ in a (sub)urban locale with tolerable weather, we would cautiously stroll as long as we could keep distant from others. We would continue to practice mindfulness and avoid risky slopes and rough trails. Watch and savor every careful step. Carry 6-foot hiking staffs. Be sober. Assume nothing. Have a nice day! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064/40 "2020-04-06T18:31:40Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I swear that worked when I previewed, but here: [‘You aren’t getting it’: farmer urges public to stay away from fields](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbUlZYLpfsY) Since that is a youtube, can you summarize? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-foolish-for-me-to-go-out-hiking/851064.md?page=3)