The 4^th of July holiday came on the heels of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s dire prediction that we might reach 100,000 new daily COVID-19 cases unless swift action was taken. Rather than dissuading me from traveling, this very worrisome trend convinced me it was now or never. Under that context, I judged a return to Cumberland Falls might be our first, and only, chance to escape together on a hiking trip any time soon. To be honest, I was going a little stir crazy too after being stuck at home for more than 3 months. Although the daily tally of new COVID cases peaked at a “mere” 70,000, it seems like that was the right decision since we will soon pass the horrific benchmark of 200,000 COVID fatalities.

We left late on the morning of Friday, July 3^rd, and arrived at the Dog Slaughter Falls trailhead in the afternoon where we met Nataliya’s friend Larisa, another Ukrainian expatriate who lives in Lexington. We hiked the short “new” trail, which is about 2 miles round trip, as opposed to the “old” trail, which is about 6 miles round trip. The “new” trail is more popular and well-traveled, while the “old” trail is nearly overgrown. Just make sure you are at the right trailhead, otherwise you might be sorely disappointed (one way or the other)! The “new trail” was not very difficult and ends at a 15-foot waterfall on the Dog Slaughter Creek. I haven’t found much information about the origin of the name, except for rumors reported in a local newspaper column which claim that either a wild animal killed hunting dogs in the area or that people drowned unwanted pets in the creek.

There weren’t many other people on the trail, but, when someone did pass us, I always put on my mask ahead of time and tried to give them a little extra space. I kept it on for at least 10 or 15 seconds afterwards. That might seem excessive, but I’m not taking ANY chances due to my cancer diagnosis. Nataliya and Larisa let me walk ahead of them so I could keep my mask off 90% of the time. I still ended up with a little blister on my nose from all the rubbing caused by the wire in my mask as I took it on and off frequently.

My masks are made from heavy 300-thread count cotton with an extra disposable filter inside too. They were uncomfortable, but not overly so, except while hiking up some steep hills on another trail on Saturday. During our trip, I only saw a handful of people wearing masks, although Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has since required masks to be worn in public. If I can wear a mask while hiking uphill in Kentucky in July, then you can too (baring legitimate exceptions of course)! Otherwise, you might literally kill me! Thank you in advance.

Hot and tired, we checked into our spacious cottage at the Cumberland Falls state park resort. We cooked up sausages and pasta for dinner with Larisa. Nataliya and Larisa still had lots to talk about after dinner, even though they had chatted a lot on the hike too. I also signed up for the AllTrails Pro app (https://www.alltrails.com/pro) on my phone, which has general information for more than 100,000 trails, including elevation, length, and difficulty, as well as reviews and maps. The Pro subscription adds some extra abilities such as offline maps (which can be very handy) and a safety feature. They had a sale for Independence Day, so the cost was only $15 annually (as opposed to $30). We didn’t use it a lot on this trip, but I figure it will be worth it even if we only use it a few times during the Year of COVID-19.

We got up early on Saturday morning, the 4^th of July, to claim an early plot on the Laurel River Lake beach on the Highway 1193 spillway. This was the destination that had sparked the whole trip – Nataliya was yearning to lie down on the sand! Our early start meant we arrived at 8 a.m. and had the beach entirely to ourselves for at least an hour. A significant crowd did not arrive until about 10 a.m. and even then, the beach was not very packed. We had enough room to keep a very safe distance from our neighbors. I lounged in the shade of a tree and read “The Liberation of Paris: How Eisenhower, de Gaulle, and von Choltitz Saved the City of Light,” by Jean Edward Smith. The book had a been a gift from my parents on Christmas 2019 that I finally got around to reading. It provided a good overview, and I was surprised by how much the German commander von Choltitz did to save Paris. He was surprisingly adept at hiding his tracks from Hitler too

Afterwards, we headed to the Eagle Falls trailhead which is on the south side of the Cumberland River across from the visitor’s center. The basic trail is about 3 miles round trip but is at least moderately strenuous with lots of climbing up and down stairs. There is “scenic” overlook on a ledge 0.1 miles above the main trail, but it was severely overgrown when we visited. It’s a lot of extra climbing to get there and you can actually get a better view of the Cumberland River along the main trail. I have acrophobia (a fear of heights) that did not really bother me until we rounded a corner about 0.3 miles from Eagle Falls (shortly after crossing a seasonal creek and passing a fork in the trail). As opposed to the rest of the trail, this portion had very little tree cover, which made me feel exposed and uneasy, so I turned back.

Nataliya and Larisa continued to Eagle Falls while I followed part of the southern trail fork on a 1-mile loop that approaches the falls inland. I went another half mile before turning back to rendezvous with Nataliya and Larisa. The loop was much more quiet and serene than the main path. I saw only two other people on the trail, while the main Eagle Falls path was pretty popular. It wasn’t crowded, but it the traffic was consistent and the heaviest of the three trails we hiked that weekend. It was a little harder to maintain distance from people passing on the opposite side of the trail since it was pretty steep and narrow. The loop is an attractive alternative if you are looking for a longer and quieter hike. However, there is some additional climbing if you want to consider this option.

We again cooked sausages for dinner and then attended a free astronomy workshop on the patio at the Cumberland Falls resort park’s Dupont Lodge. The three of us claimed a table for ourselves. The workshop was interesting, but the unfortunate park ranger had to shout over the clatter of the nearby air conditioning units. The holiday weekend was also an opportune time to view the famous “Moonbow” phenomenon at Cumberland Falls, which is the only place in the Western hemisphere where it can be seen. However, it was only visible late at night (no earlier than midnight according to the park ranger). After a full day of hiking, and with another busy day ahead of us, we reluctantly decided to turn in early.

We compensated by squeezing in several fun activities on Sunday, July 5^th, before heading home. We reserved two spots for a morning horseback ride. The Cumberland Falls state resort park has stables who offer sessions every hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for $20 per person. The 45-minute session went by quickly! When I was a kid, my parents occasionally scheduled horseback rides during family summer vacations. However, the last time was about 10 years ago on our trip to the Pacific Northwest! My dad once had a “bad horsey” who took him for a ride as it galloped away from the group at Cannon Beach, Oregon. My mom was once stuck with a “bad horsey” approximately 20 years ago who tried to get rid of her by brushing against every tree along our path in Colorado (and there were a lot of trees there)! On July 5^th, my horse was pretty tame, although he did trot quickly a few times which left my lower back a little sore the next day due to my poor posture. I had fun and it brought back fond memories. Nataliya was thrilled too – she had only ever ridden a pony at the petting zoo as a small child in Ukraine.

Before heading home, we embarked on our longest hike yet – almost 6 miles round trip to reach Van Hook Falls. Don’t be misled by your GPS, because the trailhead is inexplicably placed on the opposite side of the road from the parking lot at a “T” intersection. The roads were thankfully not very busy, but the arrangement is not ideal. The trail was relatively easy except for a short descent down to the falls, but someone has helpfully tied a rope to assist along the way. The trail was relatively deserted. The Van Hook Falls are about 40 feet tall and you can walk around behind them. We saw a rainbow in Van Hook falls too which partly made up for missing the Moonbow the previous night.

Nataliya is rarely one to pause and savor the moment (which is my preference), but she surprised me by suggesting that we stop to cool off in the Cane Creek, which we had crossed over on our final approach to the falls. The creek also has a weathered bridge across it that rests a top a large flat rock shelf. We put our gear and shoes down on the shelf and walked barefoot in the shallow, cool water which was very refreshing. After cooling off, we headed back to our car.

Overall, the trip was a lot of fun, and I was able to relax without worrying too much about COVID-19. I definitely needed to escape from my apartment too. It was a great opportunity for Nataliya and I to spend some quality time together, which has been in short supply recently. The trip also briefly restored some semblance of normalcy in a world that has had so many crises, from COVID and the election, that the jokes about them are becoming unfunny.

Since I haven’t been able to use any of my vacation days so far this year, I’ll have to find some way to use them before February 2021. My dad hopes to reschedule Paris for the fall or winter of 2020, but I think that is pretty unlikely. Given that COVID-19 is not likely to go away anytime soon (despite what our president claims), it looks like I’ll be hiking a lot in the next few months.

I would love to take an extended “digital detox” in a cabin somewhere. I really enjoyed sitting on the beach at Laurel River Lake and reading, which I haven’t done for pleasure in a long time! I would love to have a week to read, write, and hike! If I can’t tolerate a whole week, I’d settle for at least 4 or 5 days – ideally before it gets too cold. Plus, Nataliya, her son and I plan to return to Cumberland Falls in September (while staying at a distinctive treehouse) and finally change it up by visiting Red River Gorge in October. Otherwise, I’ll have to hunker down for the “long haul,” because I won’t be able to have a post COVID-19 “new normal” until there’s an effective treatment (at the very least) or a vaccine.

When it came to launching my very successful birthday fundraiser for ALK+ cancer research, I was actually hesitant to create an official Facebook fundraiser, because I have several coworkers as friends even though I am not “out” at work. I am pretty sure my boss was smart enough to Google me before she hired me, and the first search results are this blog and a local TV news story about my treatment. However, she’s never indicated she knows anything about my diagnosis. It’s the quintessential “elephant in the room.”

Having a fundraiser outside of Facebook allowed me to block my coworkers from reading the posts (as I do with all my cancer-related updates). If there is a way to filter who sees an official Facebook fundraiser, I couldn’t figure it out.

Only recently did I start dropping hints by telling coworkers I had a condition that put me at very high risk for COVID-19. I haven’t been any more specific than that and nobody has pressed for more details. I recently had to decline a happy hour invitation to celebrate a coworker who is transferring to another team. I explained that I can’t drink anymore and that I am strenuously avoiding gatherings of any size. My coworkers don’t seem curious at all why I can’t drink beer, even though they know I love brewing and was a craft beer lover! That’s because my cancer medication has incurred some moderate scarring/damage to my liver over the last there years, and both my oncologist and liver specialist said consuming any alcohol would only make it worse.

My coworkers did not press for more details, and, on the one hand, I appreciate their respect for my privacy. When I started my current job in 2018, one coworker looked me right in the eyes and said, “I don’t want to know about other peoples’ problems.” It’s true that we all have enough on our plate; on the other hand, I sometimes wish they would express little more interest in me!

So far, my employer is only encouraging people to come into the office on a voluntary basis. Nevertheless, my doctor sent a letter to my boss explaining that I was high risk and should not return to the office anytime soon, but that did not provoke any further inquiries either from my boss or any HR managers. Until there is a vaccine and/or effective treatment, I will resist going back to the office as much as I can. I have been working remotely since the shutdown in March, and there’s no reason I can’t keep working at home for the foreseeable future. In fact, I hardly leave the apartment at all anymore, except for occasional visits with my parents or my girlfriend Nataliya (with masks and social distancing of course!).

My cancer diagnosis has caused me to lead a double life, because, in the pre-COVID era, I spent 9-10 hours a day with my coworkers who seemingly never knew about my condition. I am certainly not shy about discussing it in almost every other setting, except for work. At some point they might need to know, but right now I would prefer they don’t find out via a Facebook fundraiser!

I can certainly tell you that hiding a cancer diagnosis from my workers is not nearly as fun as being an international spy or secret agent. However, it’s extremely common for people to compartmentalize their lives and lead double lives in various ways (usually an extramarital affair). In fact, anyone who reads this blog could be a member of the international brotherhood of deceivers!

I have considered telling my coworkers at various points in the past 2 years since I was hired. However, I’ve always decided to defer disclosure until it becomes necessary. I was furloughed from work for several weeks during the shutdown in the spring, which showed me that I was lower on the seniority totem pole than I thought. Several more junior members of the team stayed on the job when I thought they would have been ahead of me “on the chopping block.” It was actually perfect timing to be furloughed, because I had my second round of radiation treatment at the same time. Plus, with the extra $600 in unemployment assistance, it was like a paid vacation with a raise. In the end, I preferred being furloughed to being at work!

Since the furlough proved that I have a target on my back, I fear that disclosing a cancer diagnosis would only move me to the top of list for additional furloughs or layoffs. I would like to think my boss would stick up for me but probably only as long as her own job wasn’t threatened. Cancer is tremendously expensive for employers and totaled about $264 billion in 2010. In fact, my employer provided insurance plan tried at the start of 2020 to deny coverage for my medication, which costs $14,000 (a month!!!). Eventually, my doctor convinced them to keep paying for it, much to my relief.

You might be thinking, “Isn’t it illegal to fire someone simply because they have cancer?” Yes, it is! Cancer is considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations. As of yet, I don’t need any accommodations so disclosing my diagnosis would serve no real purpose other than to draw unwanted attention. Regardless, employers still frequently fire workers who are diagnosed with cancer. I could probably get another job, or I might win a nice legal settlement if I were illegally terminated from my position. But, with COVID still raging, I’d rather not have to deal with any extra stress.

I certainly want to tell my coworkers about my diagnosis and, if I did, I am sure the news would shock and sadden them. They probably would have contributed generously to my recent fundraiser, and I suppose I left “money on the table” by keeping them in the dark. On the other hand, they did buy and hand-deliver some delicious macaroons (one of every type) from the Macaron Bar (sic). It was very thoughtful since COVID scrapped my planned return to Paris and Normandy this year. But for the foreseeable future, it seems like everyone will keep pretending like nothing is wrong.