I did it! I did the Grouse Grind! As some of you might know it's a nearly 3km ascent up one of Vancouver's peaks, with an elevation gain of over 800 metres which makes it quite steep and vertical, though there are steps and handholds and a clearly marked path. Literally hundreds of thousands of people of all ages have made the trek over the years. It's considered one of the must-dos for both visitors and residents of the city. Last year I failed in my first attempt to make it to the peak -- H and I had to turn back at the quartermark as my legs were starting to fold and I was too exhausted.
On Sunday morning, in fact, I had no intention of climbing at all, though I did show up dressed for an active day, thinking I could do some gentle walking and wandering while waiting for H and our companions to finish the climb. But I was persuaded into joining the group by three things. One, I was slightly fitter than last year as I have for a few weeks now been incorporating near-daily walks with the dogs into my weekly schedule. Two, we had two "seniors" with us who were gamely attempting the Grind. I thought I should be no less brave! And three, if I were to take the gondola which was the only other way up to our peak rendezvous, I would have to shell out nearly 40 bucks.
And so I did it. While H and the two other guys streaked on to the peak, my walking companion and I made it in three hours in fairly good shape (I was barely sore the day after). The view at the peak was, of course, as stupendous as always. But more than that, that's one thing crossed off my list to things I must do in Vancouver!
I swore as we finished that I would never do it again. But then again, who knows? :-)
In pictures...
The gondola as seen from the base of the mountain
Hard slog all the way as parts of the path were steep, slippery and wet:
Seeing this gave us a second wind:
By this point we could glimpse the peak:
Just a few more steps!
Victory!!
You can come up but you can't go down. Coming down Grouse Mountain means a $5 gondola ride.
3 comments:
Way to go healthy girl! I could use some inspiration in getting to move my butt! Barely made a step so far. :)
wow looks like a lot of fun, that half way marker was a good idea haha
Yep cousins it was actually fun though scary at times as I battled my fear of heights. Come and visit and we will do it together!
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