Climbing, Coronavirus and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 5/21/20

Northwest:

--Timberline Ski Resort on Mt. Hood reopened on May 15th. To read more, click here.

--Oregon's Smith Rock State Park has reopened on a limited basis. To read more, click here.

The Twin Sister Range, east of Bellingham.

--It looks like the Canadian Border will stay closed to at least June 21. Squamish is for Canadians only! To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--Here's an update on the status of roads and campgrounds in the Eastern Sierra.

Desert Southwest:

--KNAU NPR is reporting on how the Trump Administration's border wall will impact the Arizona Trail, one of 11 National Scenic Trails in the United States. "The proposed 74-miles of new border barrier would cut through the southernmost section of the Arizona National Scenic Trail in the Huachuca Mountains and Coronado National Memorial. The Trail Association says it would obliterate the starting point of the 800-mile trail, transform the landscape and alter the experience for its tens of thousands of users." To read more, click here.

--Joshua Tree National Park has reopened, but there are a lot of camping restrictions. To find out more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--A climber in his early twenties was seriously injured in Utah's Snow Canyon on Tuesday. To read more, click here.

--Estes Park Trail Gazette is reporting on a technique to decrease the number of visitors in Rocky Mountain National Park upon reopening. "Plans include a proposal to the Department of the Interior (DOI) to move forward with access based on a scheduled time and approved permit. The park is hoping to limit the number of visitors to 13,500 per day during the first stage of reopening." To read more, click here.

--Arapahoe Basin still might reopen. 

--Out There Colorado is reporting that, "According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Colorado’s current snowpack is at just 43 percent of where the snowpack was this time last year and 64 percent of the average for this date, despite reaching a peak snowpack at 103 percent of the norm this season. This low snowpack is due to warm temperatures and a dry spring, which has resulted in a faster melt and less snow." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--A climber was injured in a rappelling accident near Billings, Montana this week. To read more, click here.

--The New York Times is reporting that, "Patagonia, quick to close, could be the last to reopen." To read more, click here.

--There is a lot of fear that wildfire camps could be places where COVID-19 runs rampant. To read about it, click here.

--Gripped is reporting on some new Canadian routes: "A handful of new multi-pitch routes have been climbed up the Solar Panel wall west of Nordegg in central Alberta. The climbs are accessed from the Preskott Creek parking area, the same lot used for the new sport climbing area Little Russia." To read more, click here.