After a cold start we should have a perfect day for our hike to Ravencliff Falls tomorrow.

Because we aren’t carpooling, I ask hikers to meet at the spillover lot on US276 on the right just before the Ravencliff Falls parking lot for a 9:30 departure.

Important note:  Cases of COVID-19 are surging everywhere.  Our likelihood of getting infected or currently being infected is much greater now than when we resumed hiking together this past summer.  For example, we currently have 485 cases in Transylvania County.  Back then cases were probably in the teens.  Some hikers have had more exposure to the virus than others.  As we approach the holidays with family gatherings our risk will increase greatly.

It is far more important today to practice safe measures.  At the very minimum we must always keep a safe distance greater than 6 feet while hiking.  (At a hiking speed of 2 miles per hour it only takes about 2 seconds to enter the space previously occupied by the hiker in front of you!) 

For some hikes including tomorrow’s we will encounter lots of uphill hikers as we hike downhill.  I request that all hikers carry a facemask and put it on when encountering other hikers.  Since we are hiking downhill, we may want to just keep our masks on if we encounter a lot of hikers.

Should we continue hiking together?  I think we can if we all follow the rules. In addition until further notice all Wednesday Strider hikes will be RSVP only. We will limit group size to 6 hikers. If we have more hikers, we will split into two groups.