After months of uncertainty, we’ve gotten permission from the North Cascades and Mt. Rainier National Parks, and the Mt. Baker National Forest to operate trips this year. We’ve written pages of protocols, revamped our systems to mitigate the risks associated with Covid-19, and issued thousands of dollars in refunds and credits. Now in the middle of a global pandemic, after spending so much attention on the question of “can” we operate, we’ve also had to confront the question of “Should we?“
All wilderness and backcountry pursuits rest on the premise that while we can mitigate risk, we can never eliminate it. This time honored fact, has application in the COVID era. With complete respect to those making the valid decisions postponing their runs, races, and travel plans this year, we are also keenly aware that we can’t all stay isolated indefinitely. In the middle of this dilemma, we are honestly asking, “What does Aspire and running in the mountains have to offer that is vital against such an overwhelming and unfortunate situation like a global pandemic”?
The more we’ve thought about it, the more we realize that the answer is “quite a lot, actually.” Aspire offers more than backcountry runs in epic places. In the context of this pandemic, our trips offer a much needed opportunity to reconnect: to nature, to each other, and to experience ‘play’ again. Risk is present in every aspect of our lives. Between the old “normal” of races, concerts, and dance parties and the months we’ve spent sheltering in place, we have to forge a new reality. That reality must balance the social/civil responsibilities to reduce infection with what it means to express ourselves as living, breathing, loving human beings that share a deep connection with others and with the natural world.
We could all run alone, and many of us have taken on our own self supported or virtual projects this spring and summer. However, despite being well intended and worthy projects, these pursuits cannot replace the human experience that comes from participating together, in real time and in real spaces. The pursuit of hard and challenging goals as a community creates bonds and connections between humans that are particularly rich. These experiences become vehicles that inspire deep mental clarity and focus, and result in a more grounded and self aware orientation in the world. More than ever, we need experiences that build bridges between people and disrupt the isolation and virtual worlds we’ve been operating in.
In many ways Aspire’s outdoor, small group, deep wilderness and backcountry trips are ideal for a covid world. Social distancing in wilderness is pretty straightforward, outdoor transmissions remain low to non-existent, and small groups are simply easier to manage than large ones.
We believe that offering small group excursions into the wilderness, is actually the optimal model for safely and responsibly revitalizing our communities. We decided that if there is any way that we can give our community something to look forward to, to train for, to achieve together, and to share in a way that clearly mitigates risk, we should do it. Certainly, we’ve changed our model to take every possible precaution against the pandemic.
As runners, we are all keenly aware of how important physical health is. We also recognize that we need to take care of our spiritual and emotional health. At this point, we are excited to be several trips into our summer season, reconnecting to the core of what we’re all about: awesome places, awesome challenges, and most importantly, awesome people. We believe that when you put those three things together, you get something back that’s bigger than the mountains, lasts longer than a hundred miles, and inspires us all to be a little more awesome.