We anticipate that by June 2021 the Covid-19 situation in Oregon will be at least as good as it was in 2020, and with any luck we’ll have a vaccine and it will be a whole lot better! After reviewing the local, state, and national guidelines, Wander Women has developed a COVID-19 plan that includes principles of physical distancing, masks, sanitation, and flexible cancellations. If Covid-19 is still a concern in the summer of 2021, we’ll follow these principles:

1. Physical Distancing. One of the best things we can do to keep ourselves and each other safe is to maintain enough physical distance to reduce the risk of breathing in droplets that may contain the virus. The good news is that experts agree that the chance of infection is significantly lower outdoors, where the re-breath factor of contaminated air is very low. This means there is no better place to to gather than the great outdoors. Lucky us!

To achieve physical distancing on Wander Women trips each participant will have the choice between their own single-person tent, or sharing a tent if you register with a quaranteam-mate. We also advise against carpooling to the trailhead, since sharing an enclosed vehicle. Most participants have been pleasantly surprised by how easy and relaxing the ~5hr drive is, even oh their own!

2. Masks. We wear masks whenever we need to be within 6ft of one another, such as while preparing meals, passing on a narrow trail, or helping each other reach something in your pack. This ends up being surprisingly easy on trips, but we do reccommend a fresh, clean mask for each day.

3. Sanitation. Proper hygiene and sanitation is always important in the backcountry, and on Wander Women trips we use and teach the best practices for food handling and personal hygiene outdoors. We provide a personal bottle of hand sanitizer to each participant, and bleach dishes after meals. The use of bleach for sterilizing dishes in the backcountry is a common and effective practice which can be done with minimal environmental impact. Tents and other group gear is thoroughly sanitized after each trip.

4. Flexible Cancellations. If local, state, or national guidelines prohibit gatherings of this kind, or if the trails are closed to the public, then the trip will be cancelled and you will be issued a full refund. Since policies can change quickly, it is impossible to say how much notice we would be able to provide if the trip has to be cancelled, but we will let you know, via email, as soon as possible.

You may cancel for a full refund at any time for any Covid-19 related reasons! We understand that during this unusual year, plans and health are uncertain, and we want to offer maximum flexibility. Please stay home if you are sick or have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 and suspect you may be infected. If you need to cancel, or if the trip must be cancelled all together, you will have priority registration for a future trip. See our full cancellation policy for more details.