"Rise and Shine Newbie McNewberson! Wakey wakey Luke Alvez! I thought you were a morning person? Common can't let the day get away from us! We've only got only two full days to explore this here Mountain town. Up up up!!!!"
Luke starts as her voice penetrates his sleep - then groans - then jams a pillow over his head as he rolls away from the unwelcome and unexpected source of morning chipperness.
"Ahhhhh! Who are you? What have you done with Technical-Analyst-Non-Morning-Person Penelope Garcia? I am asleep!"
Penelope having none of his guff - grabs at the pillow and starts a fiesty tug of war with her ex-army-hotel-mate.
"Duh! I know you're asleep, that's why I am waking you up, Newbie. And as for your concern about my identity - I am she! The fabulous wonderful incredible super amazing Penny G! I am awake! I am dressed! ...in an adorable mountain appropriate outfit if I do say so myself! My hair is up! My lipstick is straight! I have gotten us coffee! And...we have to get downstairs before there is no more breakfast left and then we have places to be Mr Super Special Hunky Agent! Time is a-wasting!"
Penelope finally manages to win the pillow with a triumphant shout.
Luke tentatively rolls over so can peer at the relentless woman with a bleary one-eyed stare.
She is standing there - glare-grinning at him fiercely - hands on her hips - in a totally practical yet totally cute hiking outfit - complete with pink-sparkly-laced hiking boots.
He thinks she looks adorable.
He still does not understand why he needs to wake up.
"What time is it?"
"7 AM Mountain Time Sir! Which means your body thinks it's 9 AM! You practically slept in! So up you get Mr Slug-a-bed."
Penelope grabs his hand and start pulling him into a sitting position and then thrusts a paper cup of coffee into his hand. Luke doesn't resist but he also feels like he's been hit by a train - he takes a tentative sip of the coffee and winces at the bitterness.
"Ugggg - Pen! How can you be so..so..perky?... "
He glances at the window - why is he is so groggy - ahhhhh... that's why...
"...It's still dark out, Pen...didn't we get to sleep until somewhere after 3 AM Mountain Time - 5 AM our time! That was less than..."
He counts the hours on his fingers - his brain is refusing to math anything.
"...4am - 5am - 6am - 7am...four hours sleep. Aren't we on vacation!"
"Indeed we are! And - as your brilliant tour director - I have already checked the weather and conditions - which are perfect - and if you hurry we'll be able to see the sunrise - which as per the loverly world wide web is supposed to be at 8:17 am today - which is almost a decent hour - so there is something to be said for visiting this place in November - anyway you had better get up now..."
She spins away and starts pulling his clothing out of his bag and throwing them on the bed beside him.
A t-shirt.
"...if you want to see the sunrise as we make our way up the mountain! ..."
A hoodie.
".. the guidebook says it..."
Underware.
"...is going to take us..."
His ski pants.
" 1.5 to 3 hours... it's snowy of course - but apparently the trail is groomed and in good condition - it's supposed to be moderate switchbacks...but doable..."
Blue thermal leggings - which he knows he didn't pack...
"...so it will probably take closer to 4 or 5 hours if we go at my pace... apparently the skill level is moderate...but doable...and we can always take breaks."
Socks.
"...and then we can have lunch up top and then take the gondola down..."
Gloves. Toque. Scarf.
"...and if you throw your swimsuit in your pack..."
His swimsuit lands on the pile.
"...as I have already done - we can have our soak at the hotspring pool before we head back here...so march!"
Penelope grabs the pile of clothing - spins on her heel -and heads to the spiral staircase - clearly expecting Luke to follow her.
Luke stares at Penelope retreating form like he has never seen her before.
A sunrise hike? Up a mountain? Really?
"Luke don't make me regret my enthusiasm - you're the one who supposedly loves mountains so much! Common do not leave a lady twiddling her thumbs! There is breakfast to eat and a mountain to climb!"
So Luke, shaking his head, stands up and follows Penelope down the stairs where he was apparently going to get dressed for a hike.
He was in big trouble - if he liked her before - and he did - he definitely did - a Penelope Garcia willing to go for a sunrise hike - even at the reasonable time of 8:30 am - because she thought he would enjoy it - and he knows he will - might just be completely irresistible...
Well she did warn him that they would probably need to take breaks...
Penelope Garcia puffingly wonders again what possessed her to propose hiking up a mountain as what was in many ways essentially a first date - clearly she has lost her ever-loving-mind.
She was a city girl computer nerd!
She was not destined to climb mountains in the cold!
Except he seemed so damn happy - and that made her so damn happy.
She sighs as she catches her breath watching him lope ahead a bit to check out the next stretch of trail - it was his routine for whenever they paused for breath and water - next he'd double back and stand there beaming at her either silently - all heart eyes again - or - more likely - launching into an enthusiastic explanation of a proposed plan for how they could best tackle the next bit. He was dying to break out the collapsible polls that she'd packed but so far, in his oppinion, the trail's gradient hadn't warranted them yet - although maybe that was just because he seemed to want to hold her hand as much as possible - helping her over tricky spots...
He's also been peppering her with random facts about cloud formation, clever trail design, the challenges of keeping a trail like this groomed, characteristics of random rock formations, and - at one point - he provided a lengthy and detailed explaination on how the altitude affects vegetation growth - complete with pulling her over to stop and look at specific plants half buried in snow along the side of the trail so she could see an example of the point he was making.. apparently he was a bit more of a dork than she'd realised. It was a bit like hanging out with Reid-Lite: Nature Edition.
How he could be so gosh darn cute and be such a lethal person
The thought makes her swallow another sigh.
Just a few weeks ago life was so simple...sure she had started being more friendly, but Luke had still been an infuriating tall dark and blandsome thorn in her side and was going to stay as such.
She had catagorized him as someone she tried to ignore or at least not think too much about...except, of course, as was appropriate for work colleagues on an elite team who respected each other and had each other's backs...
...but now...now...
...somewhere between the delivery of the cat tree and a puppy...
...she had become someone who willingly and meticulously plans uphill hikes because she knew deep down it would make him happy.
Apparently, that is rapidly becoming the most important thing in the universe to her: that she - Penelope Garcia - wants him - Luke Alvez - to be HAPPY - and she will do whatever is needed by said universe to make it happen.
How infurriatingly annoying!
Ohpp!Here he comes back! She can't help but twinkle at him - he is literally bounding towards her with unbridled enthusiasm.
"So El Capitano your companion is almost ready to embark again - any words of wisdom for the next bit of the trail?"
"Nope! The next bit looks pretty straight forward so the poles can stay in the packs for now - as long as you hold my hand, of course, Ms. Garcia."
"Of course. I did notice that particular condition has been the constant caveat this morning."
"Well you know we must all make these little sacrifices. I know it is hard - but safety first."
"I will try to approach the hardship with the forebearance of a saint - it shan't be easy - but I promise to at least try."
Penelope slips her waterbottle back in her pack and then slips her hand into his.
"Ready?"
"Born ready, Chica!"
They walk to the next turn in the trail in mostly comfortable spoken silence - leaving the job of warning bears that they are on the trail to the bells attached to their jackets - another sign of her excellent research skills and planning skills. As they make this newest turn - Luke quietly, carefully, strikes a new topic of conversation..something he's been chewing over for the last mile - ahem - he means kilometer (they are in Canada after all) - or so. He'd already asked the question and she'd said something about the definition of surprise...but it didn't quite ring true...
"Pen...I'm not criticizing...I am clearly loving every moment of today so far...but...but...why did you really not tell me last night we were going to be hiking this morning? Or at least that you had a surprise for the morning... I...I...wouldn't have kept us up so late last night if I'd known."
Images of some of the things they did instead of sleeping flood her mind - she can't help but blush.
He smirks at her.
She huffs at him.
He really is a fat-headed idiot sometimes.
"Look Mr Fancy Therma Pants - don't they say it takes two to tango?"
Luke just gives her that eyebrow raised look of his that tells her she is not going to get off the hook this time.
She huffs again.
"Just please stop with the macho bullshit that implies that you are making me do things I don't want to do, OK? I've had people make me do things I didn't want to do - and that is not you. Truth? I didn't know we were going to go this morning."
"But you'd done all the planning - I mean somehow - even though we hardly had a moment with the Miami case and everything - you got the spikes for our boots, and the bear bells, and these nice little packs and waterbottles and the collapsible poles and... and...perfectly fitting thermal leggings for that matter!"
"Newbie, all that was easy - I mean - I knew you and your insatiable need for fresh air and physical activity would mean sooner or later you'd want some sort of outdoorsy walk or hike or godforbid run type thing - so I looked up the options and if you read about trails - well of course you come across proposed equipment lists - so I just ordered what we needed from a local outfitter and arranged so that it was all delivered to the front desk before we arrived. It's basically what I do for every case ever. - call ahead - make sure what needs to be in place is."
Luke just keeps looking at her - somehow rising his eyebrows even higher - tilting his head and thrusting his face in that way he always infuriatingly does - when letting her know in no uncertain terms that he doesn't believe her - that there is more for her to tell him.
"Aaargh. You're not going to let this go are you?"
"No-ppe"
"Look - I had researched the gondola and the options for hiking up or down one way and so - yeah - I had thought it might be an option at somepoint this weekend to hike up or down the mountain - but I had no fixed idea of when - I mean so much depends on weather and conditions and..and...and...I didn't know how things would even be between us..."
"So made you pull the trigger this morning?"
"I woke up."
"You...woke...up?"
"Yes. I woke up and...you were all..y'know...asleep...and...y'know...gorgeous... and I just really really wanted to do something to make you..." the last word she says with her eyes glued to the snowy path ahead and her voice is low as though speaking a terrible dangerous secret "...happy."
"Wait - so let me get this straight - you woke up in the bed we were sharing - naked - and the thing you - Penelope Garcia - non-morning -non-outdoorsy -person-extraordinaire decided upon to make me happy was to wake me up to hike up a mountain?"
"Yupp-p."
She is still not looking at him.
He laughs. She did what she intended. He is very very very happy.
"Thank you."
She still won't - can't - look at him.
"You're welcome."
Luke says nothing more but squeezes her hand.
The sunrise is beautiful.
Much to Penelope's great surprise - it takes them just under 3 hours to make it to the visitor center at the trailhead - and she is not in crazy pain (yet at least).
Much to Luke's great cheer - at the end, the trail got challenging enough that it made sense to crack out the extendible alluminum hiking poles she had aquired for them. And - even though he couldn't use them and hold her hand at the same time - it gave him the feeling that he was "really conquoring the mountain" and somehow using them - since she had gotten them for them - was like touching her.
They decide to look around inside and get lunch and then take the boardwalk up to the summit before riding the gondola down. The visitor center has amazing views and lunch is delicious - but Luke's favourite part is an exhibit about Avalanches and Back-country safety presented by Avalanche Canada.
He's read bits and pieces over the years about the topic of course - outdoor survivalism was one of his things - but there is so much to know and the exhibit is so well done! There a videos and amazing diagrams showing how the snowpack is shaped by wind and sun and storm and how different conditions lead to different risks. He drags Penelope from kiosk to kiosk excitingly pointing out various facts about what causes avalanches. He makes her watch every one of the videos - and a couple of them - more than once - pointing out the parts of particular interest - he couldn't help it - they were just so freaking facinating!
Now Penelope is happy. She loves this side of him.
Really - how can such a lethal person be so gosh darn cute?
When they've finished with the exhibit - they put their coats and hats back on and do the final climb to the summit where they take selfies and exclaim over the wind and the view. Now it's Penelope's turn to be tour guide because she's read up on the history of the 1903 weather station and the 1956 Cosmic Ray Station so she has some interesting annecdotes to share.
Luke asks good questions.
They kiss then and it's like they are kissing at the top of the world.
When they get back to the visitor station they raid the gift shop. They choose plush gondolas either with a bear or a moose for J.J.'s and Matt and Derek's boys, some pretty necklaces made with polished stones and copper mapleleaf charms for Matt's twin girls, a brace of magnets and postcards and shot glasses to disbute among adult members of the team.
For themselves they each buy a keychain that says "I climbed Sulpher Mountain!"
Then they use their vouchers for gondola tickets and climb into the the little glass enclosed car for the breathtaking 8 minute ride down the mountain side.
Penelope can't help but squeal a bit and hang onto Luke - they are so high up and the cable they are hanging from seems so flimsy - but he puts his arm around her and she instantly - if illogically - feels much more secure.
She doesn't think she will ever forget this day and it is still only early afternoon...and...if they keep with the plan she set out this morning...the next stop is going to be a soak in the Banff Upper Hotspring.
How surreal.
Penelope's nose wrinkles at the smell of sulpher but remembers Boy Genius' usual advice of "just breathe through your nose like normal" and assumes she won't notice it in a few minutes.
They had seperated to change into their swimsuits and she has no idea how - but she's somehow made it onto the pool deck first.
Aren't men usually quicker at the whole changing thing?
Where the heck was Luke?Oh well!Penelope leaves her rented towel and her refilled water bottle on one of the poolside chairs and heads for the pool. The mountain air is way too cold to stand around in.
The heat feels incredible as she places a foot onto the first step leading into water - so she splashes her way all the way into the pool. She finds a place to soak where she can see the door of the men's change room and settles to wait.
Heaven.
Luke meanwhile has finished changing - but is currently on hold with the Banff Centre Box Office.
On a bullentin board in the gift shop he had taken a quick photo of a poster advertising a performance of something called One Man Star Wars. He didn't think Pen had seen the poster - but he thought she might enjoy it...and this way he could return the surprise he gave her.
The muzak ends and a young man's voice asks Luke how he can help.
"I was wondering if there were any tickets available for tonight or tomorrow's performance of One-Man Star Wars Trilogy?"
"You're in luck! The show has been sold out for weeks - but I just had a cancellation for tonight. Would you like the tickets?"
"Yes please!"
"Excellent! What name can I put them in at the box office?"
Luke quickly gives the fellow his name, contact info, and credit card number. He confirms curtain time and the directions to give a taxi driver, then hurriedly hangs up with a fist pump.
Ha ha! It's not just Penelope Garcia who can pull a surprise out of the air!He puts his phone in his locker, grabs his towel and hurries out to meet Penelope in the pool.
He can't wait to see her face when he tells her that they have tickets to the theatre tonight!
This day is just getting better and better.
But they'd better get soaking and back to the hotel for a nap - and maybe some canoodling he thinks with a smile - otherwise they might be in danger of nodding off in the theatre.
It has been a big big big day - and it isn't over yet!
To be continued...Author's Note:
This was a super fun fluffy chapter to write and research - I've only been to Banff, Alberta a few times - but it is a wonderful place to visit and I'm enjoying drawing on my memories. If you want to learn more about Avalanches and Backcountry Safety - I highly recommend the resources available at avalanche.ca. Also there is lots to learn on the web about Sulphur Mountain, the Banff Upper Hotsprings, and various other sites in and around the town of Banff, Alberta. Finally, if you haven't heard of it One-Man Star Wars Triology was performed at the Banff Centre in November 2017 around the time that this trip is set - so I couldn't resist sending Penelope and Luke. The show was written and performed byCanadian actor Charles Ross and directed by T.J. Dawe. It premiered inToronto Ontario in January, 2001 and has since toured worldwide - with performances still happening to this day. Hope you all enjoyed reading!
