LIVE BLOG - CORONAVIRUS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE:
AT Thru-hikers told to stand down this season
Update: Tuesday, Jan. 26, 10:01 a.m.
Hikers are being advised to postpone plans to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail this year due to COVID-19.
The Asheville Citizen Times reports the Appalachian Trail Conservancy made the suggestion because it feels the pandemic makes long-distance hikes unsafe. Morgan Sommerville, regional director for the conservancy, says that as long as the pandemic continues, while vaccines aren't widely available and there's been no all-clear signs from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the conservancy is recommending against long-distance hikes on the trail.