Pandemic Cross-Country Skiing in Duluth, Minnesota: A Personal Timeline

I've been a genealogist in love with family history for more than a quarter century, and while I've read numerous suggestions from fellow researchers that we should all take the time to record our own pandemic experiences for posterity, despite knowing this was something I wanted to do, the time just hadn't felt right. Until now.

I'm 51 years old and live with my wife Julie Ahasay in northern Minnesota's Zenith city of the unsalted seas, better known as Duluth.

For the past 36 years I've worked in online communications, starting in 1984 when I began operating my own 300-baud computer bulletin board system. Julie is a theater director and actor, and a retired college professor.

This is my timeline account of how the corona-virus pandemic has piece by piece found its way into my life on the remote shores of Lake Superior, the world's largest fresh-water lake.

I've gathered information from email, Facebook chats, my running and cross-country skiing logbook, and photos, and assembled them with my memories to create a snapshot of how life leapt from the well-understood to the mysterious and unknown.

March 4, 2020

Duluth is a fantastic city for outdoor activities, and each winter I savor as many days out cross-country skate skiing as I can, on the nearly 20 trail systems in and around town.

On this day, after a ski at Snowflake Nordic Center to unwind from a typical day at work I noted in my logbook that I'd encountered a small group of "Kid Ski" skiers out for one of their last outings of the season.

Kid Ski is a program that offers guided cross-country ski excursions for kids, and this was the last time I recall seeing a public group activity before the pandemic began entering my life.

March 5, 2020

This evening I met my friend Bryce K. at Carmody Irish Pub to hear a woman play music. She never showed up, however, so we just visited, and I took a photo with my friend Devin M. who was tending the bar. This was one of the last times that felt like a normal evening out with friends before the pandemic hit.

Devin M. and Lane R. Ellis at Carmody Irish Pub, Duluth, Minnesota

March 6, 2020

My father Robert Ellis first mentioned the pandemic in an email to me, writing "I sure hope the virus crisis hasn't had any effect on your company."

March 8, 2020

I went to Bent Paddle's taproom and had a pint with my friends Lissa M., Sarah P., Bryce , Rich and Nils N., John B. and “Robot Rickshaw” Troy. I then went and had an ice cream cone by myself at Love Creamery — one of the last times I went out to a public spot by myself before the pandemic began having an impact on daily life in Duluth and around the world.

Ice Cream at Love Creamery, Duluth, Minnesota

March 9, 2020

My mother Konnie Ellis emailed me her concerns over the pandemic's effect on the stock market, and told me that she was meeting with her financial advisors to consider the safest plan.

Lee Odden, the chief executive and co-founder of the company I work with, TopRank Marketing, had me add a column to a marketing industry speaking event spreadsheet we maintain, labeled "CoronaVirus," to note events he'd been scheduled to keynote that had been cancelled or postponed.

March 10, 2020

On March 10 I had lunch with my mom Konnie at India Palace — the last time we got together before the pandemic hit in earnest.

India Palace Lunch with Mom, Duluth, Minnesota

March 11, 2020

On this day I had a vegan taco lunch at Pizza Luce with Bryce, trying to maintain some sense of normalcy. There seemed to be a somewhat ominous trepidation among the people I met downtown, however, and the usual large lunch crowd at this restaurant was eerily absent.

In the afternoon Julie wrote to me, "The World Health Organization has declared it a pandemic. Crikeys."

That evening I asked my friend Bruce O. to join me for a film the next night, as Julie wasn't able to join me so I had an extra ticket. He declined, and I remember mentioning that the movie was likely going to be my last time at a public event for a while.

I told Bruce that I wanted to start staying away from crowded events after the dangers of the corona-virus were becoming more widespread in the U.S., and I remember being light-hearted about it — trying, perhaps, to convince both Bruce and myself that life might not be changing forever before our eyes.

March 12, 2020

The last public event I went to was on March 12, when I went to see the film "Polyester" at our local Zinema 2 cinema with Bryce — the movie my friend Jean S. had picked to show after winning a contest.

There were only about 15 people there I believe, and after the film I got my last pre-social-distancing hug, from John B.

Julie and I both wondered whether the Winnipeg Folk Festival we had planned to attend in July would be cancelled due to the global health crisis. As with all such events, it did indeed eventually cancel, for the first time in 47 years.

On this day I also spent some time continuing to look for vacation flights for June, and mentioned to Julie that "It will be interesting to see how prices fall because of the virus concerns."

Zinema 2's Matt D. and my friend Jean S., Duluth, Minnesota

March 13, 2020

My dad Bob forwarded me an email from my uncle David H., a psychologist who lives in Madrid. From his hard-hit Spain David wrote about "the inevitability of COVID-19 arriving" in the U.S.

Also on this day Bob wrote that he and Konnie had decided to stop going to their fitness center due to the pandemic, to keep as safe as possible.

March 14, 2020

Julie and I took our last short road trip before the stay-at-home safety measures came around —  a day trip to Washburn and Bayfield, Wisconsin. We had lunch at the Cafe Coco bakery in Washburn and meandered around the small community of Bayfield, where I noticed for the first time that some businesses were closed because of the global health crisis.

That night was the first time I started turning down invitations to join friends out for music or a visit over a pint.

With Julie at Apostle Islands Booksellers, Bayfield, Wisconsin

March 15, 2020

My dad Bob stopped over and I helped him design the packaging for his new piano music CD "Moonrise," which was the last time either of my folks were over to my house before the safety measures surrounding the pandemic really began being implemented.

Dad's Visit to Work on His New CD Packaging

March 16, 2020

Our vet, The Duluth Veterinary Hospital, emailed customers that they were implementing curbside pickup rules for safety during the health crisis, and I happened to need to buy cat food, so after work I called ahead, went there, and they brought out a bag and put it in the back of my car. The situation seemed a bit absurd at the time, but certainly safe, which I was in full agreement with.

This was the first day I mentioned the pandemic in my running and skiing journal, noting "Big corona-virus concerns around the world." Throughout the pandemic I've kept up my daily skiing, which began to not only be a way to unwind from work, but now also to find a release from worry about the health crisis.

This was also the day that my company sent all employees a helpful and supportive email with guidance for how everyone was going to switch to working from home.

I feel very fortunate to work for a marketing company with major clients that specialize in remote work collaboration including Slack, monday.com, Sococo, and to a lesser extent LinkedIn.

I also feel extremely lucky having kept a private office of my own for more than 13 years of remote work.

March 17, 2020

On this day I learned that my friend and former co-worker Gena T.'s college-age son had tested positive for the corona-virus, my first personal connection to the human toll of the pandemic.

Also on this day I wrote my first article for TopRank Marketing about the corona-virus, "Remote Communication Opportunities For B2B Marketers."

While writing it, my router was coincidentally attacked by a brand new computer router virus that re-routed all traffic to a fake corona-virus information website, an experience that was equally surreal and meta.

Pandemic-Related Article I Wrote

March 18, 2020

I learned that Tamar Weinberg, a technology speaker I know from more than a decade working for the Pubcon search and social media conferences, had tested positive for the corona-virus in New York. A few days earlier on March 13, she was featured in the BBC piece “Coronavirus: A mum's life inside the first US containment zone.”

This day was the second-to-last time I went into Mt. Royal Fine Foods to buy groceries in person, and to Mt. Royal Bottle Shoppe. I ran into John B. in the parking lot — he had been out for a walk, and this time we didn't give each other our usual hug.

March 21, 2020

The last time I met with any of my friends was that weekend on March 21, when I joined John B., John M. and his wife Judith J. at Boulder Lake for a cross-country ski outing.

We all kept our distance while skiing and also afterwards, when we placed chairs ten feet apart and shared some Bent Paddle beer John M. had brought along for us to commemorate the occasion.

I was torn over whether to join my friends, but soon decided that I would do it as a final in-person outdoor friend activity, and now nearly 40 days later I'm glad that I did, as it was an especially moving experience.

Also on this day Tamar Weinberg published an article about having the corona-virus.

Last Outing With Friends John M. and John B., Boulder Lake, Minnesota.

March 22, 2020

On this day I visited my folks to say hello, and for the first time in my life I said goodbye without giving them each a big hug.

Waves Instead of Hugs Saying Goodbye to My Folks

March 23, 2020

In my running and skiing log-book I wrote, "Scary pandemic continues."

March 25, 2020

I got groceries at the Duluth Whole Foods Co-Op, picked up cat litter at Mt. Royal Fine Foods, and made a stop at the liquor store, for the final time before switching to having things delivered through Instacart, Drizly, and other services.

Minnesota governor Tim Walz implemented statewide two-week stay-at-home safety measures, which I welcomed.

I learned that my good friend John J.'s niece Tasia was battling the corona-virus from her New York City apartment.

My 102-year-old grandma Lil Haldorsen called me to say hello. I was on another call so she left a voicemail and I called her back, and we had a good talk.

She'll be 103 on June 23, and still lives on her own in her own house. She's usually out and about going to the casino, exploring garage sales, or visiting Goodwill and the Salvation Army. The pandemic has taken these excursions away from her.

She told me that she's been occupying her time baking, doing crossword puzzles, and various art projects.

Having been born in 1917, Lil is one of the very few people who lived through the 1918 pandemic who are also now dealing with the 2020 pandemic.

Grandma Lilly Haldorsen Will Be 103 in June

March 26, 2020

I ran into John B. while I was skiing at Snowflake, and we said a quick hello from a distance, on opposite-facing ski trails.

The company that manages my private office building emailed all tenants informing us that during governor Walz's stay-at-home order the building would go into it's weekend mode, being locked up with access by key-card only, having common area lights off aside from emergency lighting, but open to anyone who needed to work.

Our good friends Carol H. and John J. let us know that they were leaving their winter home in Etzatlán, Mexico and driving home to Duluth due to the pandemic.

March 27, 2020

I contributed a quote to my co-worker Nick Nelson's article about how the pandemic and remote work has been affecting marketers: "I think if we're open to it, our shared pandemic experience offers up a sizable opportunity in our lives — to reflect on what is truly important to us and how we work, to make positive changes that may until now have been perennially postponed, and to grow both our capabilities and our compassion in business and in personal life. It's also a time to listen, and to be especially sensitive to your professional associates, your business teammates, and most of all to your family and friends," I wrote.

March 30, 2020

Our friend in England Karen T.'s brother died today of the corona-virus.

I wrote to Julie, "It's strange working through a pandemic, but we're all in this together, and I'm lucky to have a job that is safe during these times."

April 2, 2020

One of my high school teachers, Cliff Y., died today of the corona-virus in Colorado.

April 3, 2020

I wrote to Julie, "I hope the pandemic helps set some new courses for the world once it subsides."

April 5, 2020

Julie and I got our first Instacart delivery of groceries from our local co-op, a handy method we've continued doing since.

April 6, 2020

I had a distant sighting of my friends Rich N. and Sarah P. from a few hundred yards away skiing at the Magney-Snively ski trails while I was skiing at the adjacent Upper Spirit Mountain trails. We shouted hellos at one another across the dwindling snow.

April 7, 2020

Skiing brings rejuvenation and the chance to reconnect with Mother Nature, and on this day while skiing I had my first close encounter with a beautiful porcupine, as shown in this brief video.

April 12, 2020

Julie and I had our first Zoom video call with my folks, although Konnie had some technology issues so it ended up being just three of us.

April 17, 2020

On this day we had a good Zoom video call with both of my folks.

April 18, 2020

I ran into my friend Bruce B. filming his cross-country ski session at Snowflake, and we said hello from a distance. I ended up skiing 22.4K for the day, the latest in a season I'd ever skied more than 20 kilometers.

Late April Cross-Country Skiing at Snowflake Nordic Center in Duluth, Minnesota

After The First Two Months, What Will Summer Bring?

My pandemic experiences have been positively tame next to the tragic consequences being felt by many of my friends, who have lost family and friends and been unable to attend funerals, or have been unable to see loved ones currently in care facilities.

It's been a month and five days since I've seen any friends for a visit, as I've been trying to stay as safe as possible until the pandemic situation significantly improves.

We can't know precisely what the summer and the rest of 2020 will bring, however I'm practicing the old adage of preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

Skiing has consistently helped see me through the pandemic so far, as I've skied over 80 days in a row and 130 days during the season so far. With our final snow melting, I plan to have my final regular ski of the season on May 1, to mark three straight seasons skiing into May. After that I plan to return to my main outdoor activity of trail running.

I'm thankful to my parents Konnie and Bob, my grandma Lil, my many wonderful friends, to my co-workers, and especially to the person who has done the most to make my pandemic life not only bearable but one where each day is filled with hope, laughter and love — my wife Julie.

My Wife and Quarantine Partner Julie Ahasay