On March 16, I found out that the Banff Jasper Collection support office (where I work) would be closed for the foreseeable future.
After saying my farewells to the team in the office, I made the two-hour journey back home to Invermere, BC. I was back in my home office by 1 PM.
The very next day, my housemates and I decided that we would make the best of the situation and find creative ways to have fun, boost our mood and bring the outdoors inside. We would recreate our “great indoors” inside our home!
We quickly started seeing other people's photos on social media. People posted pictures of themselves climbing in their houses. So we jumped on the bandwagon and established our first indoor climbing route, “Pass the Pepper”, right in our kitchen.
What to do next? We decided to take something away from one of our favourite TV shows. If you have watched the show Community, you know that Troy and Abed build blanket and pillow forts multiple times throughout the six-season show. So we built a blanket fort in our living room! To further the excitement, we joined Frodo Baggins on a quest through Middle Earth, watching all of The Lord of the Rings film series from the safe distance of our fort.
We've had multiple campfires in our backyard and played catch with a football tirelessly. We've walked around our town keeping a safe distance from others and we've gone for nice drives. We're currently growing our own herbs and veggies.
Next, we are planning a camping trip to our backyard. Yes, it is only a 5-metre walk from the door, but we will pack our bags just as we would when heading for the backcountry and limit ourselves on accessing the house. It'll also be a great opportunity to set up our gear, see what we have, what we are missing and enjoy a night under the stars at the same time!
I guess what I take away from all this is that your state of mind plays a big part in perspective and adaptability. Stay positive, active, creative and, most importantly, have fun. Because, as far as I know, none of those things have been cancelled!
About the Author: Antoine Chasse first came to Western Canada in 2012 as an intern at the Columbia Icefield and has been hooked to this magical place since then. He's the Attractions Operations Manager for the Columbia Icefield Adventure and works with our Driver/Guide team and our Ice Explorers on the Athabasca Glacier. On weekends, you'll find him climbing, hiking, camping and canoeing all over western Alberta and Eastern BC.
