Welcome to the Famous Grouse Grind
- taken near halfway point up the Grouse Grind -
What Is The Grouse Grind?
The Grouse Grind is the name of the climbing path up North Vancouver's famous Grouse Mountain.
While there is an incredibly efficient gondola service that can get you up to the peak in warp speed, many enjoy using their own limbs to reach the summit.
The trail is nearly 3 kilometres long with an ascension of nearly 800 metres to the chalet, and another 400 meters to the top lookout.
- view of Grouse Mountain taken from the Port of Vancouver -
- Grouse Grind entrance -
The Entrance
The mood at the base is happy; everybody is chatty, everybody is smiling, and there are loads of people setting out to do the famous Grouse Grind.
At this point make sure you:
- paid for parking
- have your water with you
- have some cash or payment card for the gondola ride down
- stretch a bit for the climb
- two happy dudes that just walked through the gate -
My good friend of 25 years, Mike, joined me for the hike on this Canada Day morning.
Mike is a fitness machine that has competed in many body-building competitions so the goal on this day was to not hold him up too much.
Thankfully, we were able to push each other to the top and not be too much of a burden on each other.
- you are liable for yourself on this trail -
The first quarter of the journey is the real test. This is where the herd thins. You know if this is for you or not by the time you hit that 1/4 mark sign.
For me, this was the hardest part. Not because the terrain is difficult but because I thought I could get away without eating in the morning. I made the mistake of only drinking my coffee and then feeling like I could snack halfway.
Just before the 1/4 mark sign, I became slightly dizzy. I knew it would pass as it was the caffeine with an empty stomach. We stopped and I ate a granola bar, had some water, and it was all good from there. I would say that this was the worst part for me. My body only got better as we ascended.
- everybody looking relaxed for the first small section -
Congratulations you did it!
To be honest, it didn't feel much like a milestone. Having a sign like this is a great idea because many people huddled around it to take some photos and head back down.
This type of terrain would be far more dangerous to attempt to walk down. Your depth perception cannot gauge how far each step is and the contours of what you are stepping on are difficult to assess. Plus it is just horrible on the knees.
If you're not feeling it at this point, head back down!
- they were not kidding it got much tougher -
For the remainder of the way up, you share this experience with a handful of people that are going at the same pace and are alongside you the entire way. You push each other without having to say a word and continuously leapfrog your positions as breaks are taken.
- the crowd starts to thin out -
Here we made the halfway point. At this point, you are really feeling it. Your body is firing and those thighs are engaged.
I found out after the fact that these markers are not a representation of the distance travelled, but instead, the elevation gained. This is why it seemed to take so long to get to the 1/4 marker, yet reasonable fast to get from 1/2 to 3/4 markers.
- halfway to summit -
All of my life I have been a sucker for views and skylines. Maybe that is why I love this city so much. Needless to say, I was excited to notice a little walkout near the halfway point.
About 30 feet off of the main trail, you can veer off to get a glimpse of the progress you have made.
This definitely filled me up with a little bit of adrenaline to attack the next portion of the grind!
- halfway point view -
After a bit, the smiles fade. They morph into these sweaty, determined looks of extreme focus. You know you cannot go down, you are in this until the very end.
I love being around determined people that put the work into achieving something.
At about the 3/4 mark, I stopped for a break and looked down at everybody ascending towards us. I glanced over at Mike and mentioned how I had respect for everybody walking up at this point. These people are all soldiers.
- I have respect for all of these people -
Some people looked like zombies, some people looked like they could not go any farther, and some treated it as if it was a casual walk in the park, but everybody had a determined look on their faces.
This was something that was going to get done!
- Mike and I taking one of many quick breathers -
Why do humans do these types of things to themselves? This is not something that is fun. This isn't leisure time.
Everybody up there was doing this to achieve something the hard way, pushing themselves to their limits. It was a moment where I realized how beneficial an environment like this is to be in with the right people surrounding you.
Often we look for easy ways of doing things. When we achieve things the easy way, that is fine and all, but you will not appreciate it nearly as much as when you have to grind for it.
- making the best out of a breather getting a photo -
In this case, I have known this mountain for 35 years. I have taken the gondola so many times to reach the peak in 7 minutes. After taking 2 hours to climb it, I have an appreciation for this mountain that did not exist before. You become more intimate with the destination when you put more effort into achieving it.
- grouse grind -
What a sweet little reminder of how life works and the importance of working hard for your goals. Also, why the easy route is not always the best one. The Grouse Grind doesn't let you fake the funk. You have to put in the work. It may take longer, but the fruits of your labour are far more satisfying in the end.
- this was the flattest section of the entire trail -
We had a Monk go past us climbing in his bare feet. We had a 75 year old man climb passed us letting us know he was going to head back down and do it a 2nd time. You're never too old and never too limited to achieve things like this.
- a monk climbing barefoot the entire way (amazing) -
This is the first peek of civilization upon completion of the hike. You cannot help but feel some sense of accomplishment when reaching the summit.
At one slow point just over halfway through, Mike reminded me how there is good poutine and beer at the top. This may have shaved 15 minutes off of my time and created some chuckles on the trail.
It is time to get that carb-filled reward.
- view of chalet upon completing the grind -
Feeling on top of the world!
- shameless selfie -
I do not recall the last time that I even drank a beer. Plus, fries are not at the top of my list these days as I eat pretty healthy 90% of the time.
There was zero shame in indulging in some Canadian table fare. Nothing more Canadian than a Coors Light and a Classic Poutine after scaling the Peak Of Vancouver.
Just missing some Maple Syrup and a hockey stick!
- not bad eh -
The patio at the cafe has incredible views of West Vancouver, Downtown, North Shore, Burrard Inlet, and if you look far enough, you can see Vancouver Island as well as the Souther Gulf Islands.
This is a table you can sit at for hours!
- patio table view -
That is the look of a happy camper!
We were already talking about which mountain to do next.
Maybe some preparation is on order to attempt the world famous Westcoast Trail on the shores of Vancouver Island.
That would be a 70 km, 7 day hike in wet conditions. We definitely need more practice for that. But goals are good to have!
- tired but happy -
As you walk in to purchase your tram ticket down, this screen shows the time leaders for different categories.
Note that the fastest time this hike has been done is in 23 minutes and 48 seconds. Wow.
What may be more impressive, is that the 80+ category has 3 men that have completed this hike in around 44 minutes. We did it in 2 hours.
This was a big thing that I took away from this experience. It does not matter how old you get, you have a much more control of your health and abilities than you think.
- amazing -
There is a ton to do at the Peak Of Vancouver's Grouse Mountain. For this post, I left out the activities at the top and will share them on a later blog post.
For now, it is time to buy the download ticket and carry on with the day.
- my souvenir -
Mike and I took one last victory photo before heading down the mountain. Me and this guy have done many adventures since our teenage years so it was only fitting that we conquered this one together.
- friends for 25 years and still kicking it -
Away we go! Hang on cause that first drop moves fast!
- gondola ride down -
I loved the taking the gondola too. I could make out at least 4 different languages being spoken on the ride down. It is nice to see that tourism season is back in full swing and that people from all around the globe can enjoy this place as much as us locals do.
- inside shot of gondola ride down -
In Closing
When I decided to finally set a day to complete this hike, I knew that it would be a satisfying accomplishment.
In all honesty, it did a bit more for me than expected. As mentioned in this post, you notice an appreciation for something when you apply yourself more to it.
There is also something to be said about what/who you surround yourself with. These people on the mountain were all independent go getters. They were all out to improve themselves with no expectations in getting off easy or off of somebody else.
This is something that lacks in our culture being immersed in instant gratifying behaviours and reluctance to put forth significant effort in achieving things.
I guess you could say, this climb helped bring me back down to earth...literally!
Thanks for reading!