Like others in Mr. Carcia’s circle of extreme hikers, he works all sorts of jobs to fund his hikes. He’s waited tables at a Ruby Tuesday in Worcester, Mass., where
he grew up, and has worked at a hostel in Woodstock, N.H.
The hikes are what drives him. Last year, Mr. Carcia took on a different challenge, known as the Grid. Every month, he hiked all 48 of New Hampshire’s mountains taller than 4,000-feet for a total of 576 summits. It took 319 days, and set a new record.
In the first months of the pandemic early this year, officials worried that serious distance hikers — particularly Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers who spend weeks and even months out at a stretch — might travel in and out of small towns to sleep or get supplies and inadvertently spread the virus. Other fears emerged, too: Hikers might cross state lines without following quarantine rules, or get injured and strain medical resources that the virus was already stretching in small, rural communities.
But state guidelines loosened over the summer, and some hiking organizations began encouraging people to proceed with hikes but to follow Covid-19 safety guidelines, including social distancing and masks. Some mountain huts were reopened for daytime use. Some trailheads and camping sites that had been shuttered were reopened, and trails grew crowded through the summer.
The Appalachian Mountain Club’s stance on hiking during the pandemic, according to Nina Paus-Weiler, digital media and communications manager at the club, is, “This is a positive thing — you should go do this.” But, she added, “we are urging people to be prepared and follow state and federal safety guidelines.” Mr. Carcia wrestled with what to do. “When Covid hit, I like everybody else was forced to stop in my tracks and reconsider,” he said. He knew that he would be in the more remote sections of forest, far from tended paths, far from everyone. In the end, that sealed his decision.