Picking up the post-pandemic pen

Before the crushing crowds of people who had been pent up by the pandemic…..before the horrid heat dome settled in……before the torrential rains that did little to remedy the area’s decade of drought but ruined some of its river-side roads and trails……my wife and I spent 17 days in southern Utah, hiking in its five national parks as well as in several national monuments, state parks and lesser known slot canyons.

We flew west via an airline that was blocking every other seat in its boarding gate areas and keeping center seats vacant on its planes. Still, we looked like beekeepers in hazmat suits, wearing two face masks snuggly over our noses and mouths as well as face shields to cover from above our eyes to below our chins, and with 99.9% effective disinfecting wipes between our hands and anything we touched.

But on the trails, except when we passed other hikers, we unveiled our faces, breathed in fresh air and looked upon some of the most marvelous vistas in all of Creation.

The pandemic is not over — in fact, it’s never been worse in some places around the planet. But much of the world now has the knowledge and the tools it didn’t have a year ago to fight back. And even though some parts of the world lack access to those tools and other places refuse to utilize readily available tools, it’s time for me to get back to writing about the sliver of the world that is our experience…..about the good, the bad, the quirky and the metaphoric of it.

My purpose is no grander than to collect my memories and clarify my thoughts. But you are welcome to listen in.

JER, July 2021