I've been back to work for about a month now. I've survived yet another mass layoff. This one took nearly 25% of the total staff, but 50% of the geologists-- people who are near and dear to my heart, people that I've worked with for 4, 6, 8 or more years. People who are my friends. I feel like I've had a layoff hangover for weeks. It's hard to focus, it's hard to get back in the routine. This is the sixth round of layoffs in seven years, and surely, this won't be the last. It's seems inevitable that eventually either Tom or I will get forced out of our job. And it's with this very depressing thought that I was utterly relieved when Tom's parents agreed to watch the girls for a couple nights. Tom and I hopped into the car (because it's SO EASY TO PACK when it's just the two of us!), and away to Banff we went. Big adventures are not on the agenda these days, but small adventures we can manage!
The Banff Springs Hotel is fairly newly re-opened to the public. Masks are mandated whenever you are in shared spaces on the property. Rooms are at 50% capacity, cleaning staff does not come into your room once it's occupied, and they leave the room unoccupied for 48 hours after a guest has vacated. This is the world we live in now. Safety measures every way you turn (I'm not complaining).
Tom and I had a lovely stay. We lingered over breakfast, we wandered down Banff Avenue with coffees, we repeatedly harassed Tom's parents for pictures of the girls.
Years ago, we drove to the Sulphur Mountain gondola with the intention of taking it to the top. I don't remember what the price was then, but we did a hard pass on the gondola and decided one day we would hike instead. Maybe that was as long as a decade ago... But today it's $70/person to take the gondola up to mountain (um, insane!). So, we finally found the opportunity to hike to the top.
The Sulphur Mountain trail is a 10km roundtrip of well maintained switchbacks. The views are not really anything special on the way up, but the panorama at the top is well worth it. There is an extensive network of platforms and stairs to get the best views of the valleys and mountains in all directions. The peak was busy with hikers and gondola riders. It was a really lovely afternoon.
When we made it to the bottom, we had cocktails and dinner at the German pub in the Banff Springs. And we slept an uninterrupted night, with no kids to wake us up at all hours. We lingered over another breakfast, and then headed back to the city to smother our girls with kisses and hunker down for another week of work. But, there are more small adventures in our near future!
Stay tuned.
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