Vancouver - Grouse Grind

Grouse Grind - 1.8 mile one way, 2800 ft elevation gain

We went for a vacation in vancouver recently. I started looking for nearby hikes when we were planning the trip. Grouse grind particulary caught my attention because of the challenge it offers :)

Sep 7th - I precariously drove to the mountain early in the morning. At the trail head, there is a notice with attention to hikers, which can scare you :). I started the hike around 6.45 am. The trail was kind of dark with all the tall trees blocking the sunlight. I had expected to see more hikers as it seemed to be a popular trail but there were hardly any, may be because it was a weekday.

It was still kind of dim till the 1/4 marker. As the elevation increased, it was getting brighter. Occasionally few hikers would pass by me. I was just going steadily at my pace. The hike was stairs all the way.

Once i reached the 1/2 marker, i felt better and confident that i will make it to the top. I was enjoying the change of scenery, thankfully there was no rain also.

I reached the top of the moutain in 2 hrs. It was surprising that there was no marker stating that you are on the top.

Once on the top, it was a easy ride down on the gondola. It is not recommended to hike down this trail.

It was definitely an achievement for me to do a hike of this difficulty and i was glad that i was in good shape to do :).