Tag Archives: COVID

May25

Getting to spend an extra two days in Nuuk – or – I started my adventure, and immediate caught COVID

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Tuesday, 07-May-2024, through Thursday, 09-May-2024


I caught COVID.

After my sunrise hike, I felt low energy… which is normal, after sleeping 2 hours and then ascending a mountain in what felt like hurricane force winds, well below freezing.

The next day, I was a bit tired and congested… again, kinda normal.

The day after, I was fully congested. Okay, I’ve got a cold. Neato.


On Monday evening, while packing to fly out, I did a quick COVID test. It came back positive. I did a second test. Also positive. Okay, so that settles it. Good news – I don’t have a cold! Bad news – I do have COVID. Fuck.

I tried to sleep on it, to decide what to do. I didn’t have a major fever, so… maybe I could fly with a mask? I was planning on effectively isolating myself in Reykjavik anyways… so maybe it would be okay?

I slept fitfully, and when I woke up at 6am, I couldn’t fall back asleep. It didn’t feel right to fly with COVID. I checked the CDC recommendations, and the EU recommendations, and Sweden’s recommendations, and looked at my body temp, and… Decided that I shouldn’t fly. I rebooked my flights, then extended my Airbnb in Nuuk, and then confirmed that there wouldn’t be issues with my reservation in Reykjavik.

Then I went back to sleep. I was able to sleep better, after that decision.

I went to the grocery to get some food, took a nice long walk, ate lots, and took the time to relax and rest. Tuesday was a rest day for me – both mentally and physically. I let myself watch stupid youtube videos, and I kept my adventuring to light walking along the boardwalk, and to and from the grocery. Wednesday I’d focus on the trip work that I had planned to do anyways… but Tuesday was spent maintaining my mental health.


Wednesday I awoke nearly 100%. No fever, minimal congestion… still a bit tired, but nothing horrible.

I made the right decision, I guess.

Still, I laid low and took it easy. I did some trip work, wrote lots of blog posts, and took a nice walk around town to help clear the lungs and move the blood. I repacked everything that had gotten unpacked, and made myself some dinner.

It was relaxing, and healing, and a good opportunity to practice pivoting.

Aug15

Climbing in a Pandemic – This is a new world, but we’re all learning to live in it.

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Sunday, 09-Aug-2020

 

 

I haven’t been to a climbing gym in months.  Since COVID really hit, at least… and probably before that, though I can’t quite remember.  They’ve been open for a while, actually… but I’d cancelled my membership about a month ago, and hadn’t really planned on restarting it anytime soon.

 

Then a study came out, suggesting that climbing chalk can deactivate the COVID virus nearly immediately upon contact (Ed Note: We’ve posted a link to the article is at the bottom of the post, enjoy!).  I also have a few friends who’ve started climbing again, who let me know what sorts of precautions the gym’s been taking, and how crowded (or not crowded, in fact) the gym has been recently.

I… wasn’t fully convinced.  But I kept tumbling it around in my head… questioning whether I’m really being safe, or if I’m being paranoid.

That’s the name of the game these days, isn’t it?

How much protection should we give ourselves?  What’s safe, and what’s an unnecessary risk?

What’s a sore throat, and what’s COVID?  Is the sneeze because I just split pepper, or inhaled a face full of dust?  Or am I contagious, and risking my and everyone else’s health?

 

We simply don’t know, so we weigh the options and do our best.  Like we always do.  We move forward.

 

I finally moved forward to the gym.  I don’t regret it.

 

Nothing is safe, but climbing at the gym was… acceptably unsafe.  I don’t think there was really any heightened risk outside of the normal “I’m climbing fifty feet into the air, protected by a half-inch thick rope”, and I’m confident that there wasn’t any pandemic-related risk greater than going to the grocery store, or picking up tacos at the local bodega.

Everyone had a mask, and I felt good.

…

That being said…

Man am I weak.  I finished a few routes, yeah, but… dang, man.  I need to climb more!

 

 

Link to article: https://www.abcwalls.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Corona-Virus-and-Chalk-Press-release.pdf