OUR EPIC EVERWALKERS — NANCY HANAUER AND MITCH CULBREATH — LIVE IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, WHERE THEY LOVE TO EXPLORE THEIR CITY. BUT MOST YEARS, THEY ALSO HEAD OUT ON ONE OR TWO EPIC ADVENTURES AROUND THE GLOBE AS WELL. THIS YEAR, HOWEVER, THEY STAYED CLOSE TO HOME. . .AND FOUND THAT WALKING THROUGH A PANDEMIC WAS A GREAT WAY TO GET TO KNOW THEIR HOME TOWN AND HOME STATE! NANCY SHARES THEIR JOURNEY IN THIS BLOG WITH HER WONDERFUL PHOTOGRAPHS.

Back in March, when news of a novel corona virus hit the media channels and most of the country shut down for 2 weeks, I thought we’d be back at life as usual in 4 months, tops.  Boy, was I wrong.  We are now 9 months into the COVID-19 pandemic and it’s clear that, like the 1918 pandemic, it will likely take 2 years before we’re back to “normal” and “normal” may have a new meaning.  As we chug along with many of our favorite activities either banned or highly discouraged, one activity that has been highly encouraged is walking – lucky for us EverWalkers!!

SPRING: The first shut-down in Minnesota began on March 16, almost Spring equinox.  The weather was more than cooperative for getting out on long walks to see all the hearts in windows and sidewalk chalk messages of support and encouragement.  The natural world sprang to life, with daffodils and tulips poking up right on time.  With most people not having anywhere to drive, the air became incredibly clean and fresh.  Mitch and I walked many miles taking the deepest breaths of our lives and remarking continually how we couldn’t believe just how delicious it was.

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SUMMER: We walked on into Summer and the good (actually glorious) weather continued – the silver lining to the on-going pandemic.  The rain was kind enough to come at night or on a Monday morning and refrained from ruining our weekends.  Ever longer walks had me planning routes that were into parts of Minneapolis and St. Paul we had never explored.  Once we had a feel for a new neighborhood, I would plan routes that were just one street over from a street we had already walked.  It’s surprising how different a place can be just a block over.  There were also walks where I marched Mitch up and down every block in a very concentrated section of town.  During the work week, I would often get up early and walk north on Victory Memorial Drive to the flag pole and return along a different residential street in my neighborhood.  Many of my evening and weekend solo walks were through the areas devastated by the unrest after George Floyd’s killing.  These gave me much to think about.

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FALL: Minnesota’s pandemic numbers ramped up in the Fall and we walked on, as much for fitness and exploration as for sheer sanity.  There were occasional walks and great talks with friends and many solo walks.  Relatively dry, sunny days with calm, cool nights helped deliver one of the most spectacular and prolonged displays of fall color I can remember.  The beauty seemed to be a betrayal in light of the state of our state, country and world.  I became more interested in how our cities were shaped.  Where were the really old parts?  Which groups settled certain areas and why?  How did racial covenants and red-lining define who could live where?  Which buildings were on a site throughout time?  How did the freeways change Minneapolis and St. Paul?  Influenced by a video of the long defunct Como-Harriet streetcar line, I spent a good part of a Sunday walking along the streetcar section between Como and 18th Ave. SE through downtown Minneapolis to Loring Park.  Another Sunday walk began in Beltrami Park which used to be the site of Maple Hill Cemetery, one of the oldest in Minneapolis.  After falling into neglect, most of the dead were moved to other cemeteries, though several headstones remain, the kind that are flush with the ground.  Mitch and I searched for them, but to no avail – too many leaves on the ground.

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WINTER: Luckily, the mild weather has persisted as we move into Winter.  Minnesota’s pandemic numbers have gotten so bad, we’re back in a partial shut-down.  Bars, restaurants and fitness centers are closed.  People have been encouraged to spend time only with those in their households or pandemic bubbles.  There’s no snow on the ground nor ice on the lakes, so outdoor winter sports are not happening.  Guess what is?  Yes, WALKING!!  With darkness falling by 4:30 in the afternoon, I’ve been easing up on the urban walks and have made a return to more walks in nature.  I’ve been getting reacquainted with loads of city parks, the Mississippi River Gorge, Three Rivers Regional Parks and Pike Island below Fort Snelling.  I’m not the only one with this idea.  The parking lots at many of the parks are packed – testament that nothing lifts the soul quite like Mama Nature.

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I’m grateful that my tiny pandemic bubble includes intrepid souls who love to walk and explore almost as much as I do.  I am also grateful that, in spite of all the truly awful things that 2020 has dealt, I’ve been able to experience the beauty, mystery and wonder right in my backyard.  The pandemic will end and the seasons will keep cycling.  The really cold weather will come to MN and when it does, I will do like this Aztec Camera song:

“Walk out to winter, swear I’ll be there
You blind, snow blind, this is why, this is why.”