With the 2020 PCT northbound thru hiker season underway, and 10-12 hikers passing by my place per day, what are the implications of the European travel ban, closure of Scout and Frodo’s overnight accommodation option in Southern California, the PCTA’s message on Covid-19 for permit holders, along with a number of additional possible logistic and other challenges for thru hikers, on the number of people who will attempt a thru hike in 2020?

Because of the European travel ban, this year will almost certainly not be a record-setting year for number of hikers. (I estimate that Europeans make up around 10% of thru hikers, with that percentage increasing slightly each year.) So far, local weather conditions have had a greater impact in hiker numbers than covid-19, but the hikers passing by my place now started their trek before the travel ban and the large increase in press coverage on the longer-term implications of covid-19 for the US.