Chapter 15
MARTHA
As soon as we stepped down off the bus the tracker began to ping with an incoming message.
When you arrive in Banff head to the gondola
‘Right,’ I said. ‘Looks like we’re going up the mountain.’
‘I’m not a big fan of heights,’ said Erin, looking very apprehensive.
‘No choice, darling. We have to do it. You can close your eyes but you’ll probably miss a great view.’
She took a long breath and said, ‘I’ll be fine.’
‘Well done you.’
Priya and Tara had taken a few steps away to read their own tracker, their producer and camera operator appearing next to them, ready to capture the gripping part of this final leg of the journey.
I was aware that this was really going to be a two-on-two race to the top.
I wasn’t prepared to hang around, especially as Femi and Liz were probably already at the checkpoint.
My knee was aching and if we could get a lift, a head start, anything, I’d be grateful. Cally and Noah were hovering too.
‘I’ll definitely be going up on the gondola with you,’ Cally said. ‘The view from the top is supposed to be amazing.’
There was a sign showing a map of the town and how to get to the gondola ride. It looked walkable but then, there was my knee again, quietly throbbing, reminding me I was pushing myself far beyond my usual daily efforts.
I noticed an older couple who had just walked out of a bakery and were unlocking their car.
‘Let’s hope for a lift or at least a point in the right direction,’ I whispered to Erin.
‘We’re staying in the Rimrock Hotel which is right next to the gondola,’ the man said when I asked him for help. ‘We can give you a lift.’
‘Are you sure? Thanks so much.’
Priya looked on as we made our arrangements. She didn’t seem best pleased and even though I’d heard her and Tara talking about running towards the checkpoint, they now began to look around to see who might be able to offer them a lift.
‘You’d better be quick if you do want to ride the gondola with us,’ I said to Cally with a grin, and Noah chuckled behind the camera.
Cally jumped back in her producer car as we piled in with Noah on the back seat of our ride and I resisted the urge to wave at our fellow contestants as we sailed past them. We were nice women; it wouldn’t have been kind.
We were dropped in the car park of the Banff gondolas and Erin raced towards the ticket booth. I tried to race too but my left hip seemed to have joined my knee in some sort of protest and I had to hobble.
‘A hundred and seventy-one dollars for the two of us?’ I asked the young lad behind the counter to repeat the amount as I couldn’t believe it would be that expensive.
‘That’s right,’ he said.
‘How long is the ride to the top?’ Erin asked.
‘Eight minutes. You can take the trail and walk up if you’d rather.’
He looked bored now and was glancing over my shoulder at the queue of people gathering behind us.
‘We don’t have time to walk,’ I said, handing over the cash. I watched it being pulled from my fingers by the young lad and wondered how on earth we were going to get all the way to the other side of Canada with such limited funds.
‘The views are amazing,’ he told me. ‘Worth every dollar.’
‘What, all one hundred and seventy-one of them? Well, thank goodness for that,’ I said and slid my jacket back over my money belt.
The gondola ride was amazing, I had to admit, and even Erin decided it was best done with her eyes open.
‘No way I’m missing out after parting with such a large sum of money,’ she said.
I was so pleased we wouldn’t be last to sign in. I had to assume Femi and Liz were already there, what with their taxi, but Harrison and Sam were stranded somewhere and Priya and Tara were back in town. Even with a quick lift, it was impossible for them to overtake us on the gondolas.
The view across the mountains was breathtaking and Banff opened up below us like a miniature village.
‘Is that the famous Banff Springs Hotel?’ Erin asked Cally.
‘Yes, and that is where you’ll be spending the next thirty-six hours,’ she said.
‘No way!’ said Erin. ‘That’s amazing.’
‘It looks big, and beautiful,’ I said.
‘It is both of those things and we’re all looking forward to staying there,’ said Cally.
‘I have a jigsaw of it to do,’ Noah said. ‘Feel free to join me.’
‘I will,’ Erin said.
‘I’ll mostly spend the next thirty-six hours with my eyes closed in a luxurious bed,’ I said. ‘Sorry, Noah, count me out.’
It wasn’t lost on me that they were doing the same race as us; Cally and Noah.
They might have free accommodation and funds far bigger than ours but Noah still had to be cramped in with us on coaches and lift shares.
Cally had it a little easier in her own car but even that wouldn’t be comfortable for thousands of kilometres.
‘“In 1883 Banff became a resort town after railway workers discovered hot springs at the base of Sulphur Mountain”,’ Cally read from a booklet she’d pulled from her bag.
‘Very interesting, but we’re almost at the top so we need to get ready to run,’ I said.
And then we stopped and once the door was open we leapt out.
Well, Erin leapt out. I hauled myself out, dragging my bag behind me.
There was a viewing platform where I could already see the check-in book on a table that had been left at the edge of the area.
It was with trembling fingers that I opened the page and saw that we were in second place behind Femi and Liz, just as I thought.
I grabbed Erin and pulled her in for a hug.
‘What a team we are,’ I said jubilantly. ‘Second place.’
‘Well, we did know we’d be second, although I wouldn’t put it past Sam and Harrison to have found some sort of special fast track.’
I signed our names and put in our time with a flourish and a rather large grin on my face.
‘Any news on Harrison and Sam?’ I asked Noah who looked surprised by the question. ‘We overheard you talking about their breakdown.’
‘Noah! You need to be more discreet,’ Cally told him with a shake of her head.
‘I was eavesdropping, to be fair,’ Erin said.
‘Even so,’ said Cally. ‘Anyway, they’re back on their way now as the taxi company sent them a new car and driver but the last we heard, they were almost at Calgary, so you will have a fair advantage on them.
The taxi is going to bring them all the way to Banff for the inconvenience they caused them.
And that is all you’ll hear from me on the business of the other contestants. ’
‘Damn,’ I said. ‘That’s a shame. I was hoping for them to be sleeping on a park bench before a bus here tomorrow, and me in a hot tub with a glass of something crisp and cold in my hand, watching them stagger into the hotel.’
‘Wow, got that on camera, Noah? And you say there’s no grudge, Martha.’
I didn’t mean to take that vignette to such an extreme and I could hear Cally and Noah laughing as I walked away to have a proper look at the view.
Erin and I stood for a short while gazing out across the valley. The sun was disappearing behind the mountains. Another day checked off our journey.
‘I don’t want to hang around for long. I shall feel a bit like we’re taunting Priya and Tara if we’re still standing here when they arrive.’
‘You would if it were Sam and Harrison,’ said Erin.
‘Probably.’
‘I don’t much like Priya,’ Erin said after a short while.
‘Why?’
‘I don’t really know. A vibe.’
‘What she said on the bus about it being easier without the brothers in the race felt a bit in poor taste.’
‘Exactly. That’s what I mean.’
Either way, we stayed for a little longer and it was easy to just stand and stare. The scene was spectacular and made me feel really insignificant. Erin took out her camera and suggested a selfie.
We grinned like two incredibly happy people and maybe in some ways we were, but there it was again. More memories we were making together. And with each one I felt just a bit more removed from my daughter.
* * *
The hotel was beautiful indeed and our room was huge.
The feel of the luxurious sheets after last night’s sleeping bags was bliss as I ran my hand over my bed.
There was a sofa and a writing desk which Erin promptly sat down at to add to her journal.
I dropped my rucksack and felt an immediate relief in the muscles of my back.
My feet were aching, as was my hip and, of course, my knee.
I was also convinced that I had a blister on my heel.
I wanted Erin to think I was a strong woman despite my age but the truth was, I was flagging a bit – actually, a lot.
I hoped that a day and a half here would see me rejuvenated for the next leg of the journey because Newfoundland still looked an awfully long way off on the map.
It was nearly eight by the time we got to the hotel and we opted for room service. We couldn’t leave until the morning after tomorrow as per the rules: thirty-six hours from the moment we signed in to the book at each checkpoint.
The view from the windows was a winding river disappearing into the distance with mountains climbing up on either side and rows of fir trees lining the water.
I stood for some time marvelling at where we were.
At the decision we had made to come and take part in this TV programme.
At how much I wished I could tell my daughter all about it.
And then I had to swallow down what was a sudden, huge sob that was threatening to escape my mouth and I went to look at the bathroom before Erin noticed.
It hit me like that sometimes. Usually, I was happy to think about her but occasionally, when I was tired or emotional, or both, I found it hard.
There was a massive bath and a separate shower and I bent down to put in the plug and run the water. My body needed a soak.