I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy while having a chance (for some of us) to slow down and catch up on things at home. I’m not working for now due to the virus and my age, and it’s a whole new world for me. But, like many of us, I love my job, and hope to back out there soon.
We’re all seeing lots of changes in our lives, and it’s no different for us at Trail Guards. Here are some of the things that are being affected right now.
Our board meetings have moved to email, and possibly Zoom if we need to meet face-to-face. Our meetings are always fun and productive, but it’s hard to social distance while all sitting around my dining room table.
Our annual My Room project (our 25th), has been postponed until it is safe to be entering someone’s home to do our work. We are normally finishing that project up right about now.
We have three Trail Guard youths scheduled to go to Washington D.C in June for the “Kids for the Boundary Waters” program, but the organizers have put that on hold for now. It looks unlikely this year.
Our annual Two Wheel View International Bicycle Expedition also looks unlikely for July. TWV has cancelled two of their three summer youth trips, and the third is a wait-and-see. The trip we would be participating in this year is again in the Canadian Rockies, and it is anyone’s guess when the border will open back up, as well as when it will be safe to load a youth on a plane and immerse him into an international group of kids.
The Midwest Mountaineering Spring Outdoor Expo scheduled for late this month is postponed with no mention of a reschedule date. We expect it to be cancelled. The expo is always a chance for us to learn new skills and information, connect with other youth and outdoor groups, and promote the Trail Guard organization and model.
Our annual May Bike Trip to Willmar and back, normally around Mother’s Day Weekend, has been cancelled.
Our normal early-May startup date at the Nature Park is on hold until further notice. The park restroom is open, the water will be turned on soon, and the park will be cleaned up and ready for visitors. But we won’t be gathering there with Trail Guard kids until things open up.
Our whitewater rafting trip, normally scheduled for late-June, is on hold until further notice.
We do have a permit reserved for our August BWCA trip, and we are hopeful for that, as well as for many of our other summer activities, such as our Town and Country Days activities, and our Canoe and Kayak Picnic Cruise on Lake Koronis.
There is more, but you get the picture. We’re all making many sacrifices right now to help slow the coronavirus as it pushes its way into our lives, and we are all looking forward to getting back to life as normal when the time is right. Thanks to everyone for all the support we enjoy, and know that we will be back and strong when it is safe and right to do so.