The Grouse Grind

Obviously, the Canadian Rockies host some of the greatest areas in which to go hiking, with locations from Banfff to Jasper boasting stunning mountain lakes. Having only been in Vancouver for 3 weeks, there has not been a great deal of time to go hiking yet. That said, I have found the time to go on a few small adventures, most notably, up Grouse Mountain.

The Grouse Grind. The infamous hike. The Grouse Grind is a 2.9k trail up the side of Grouse Mountain, featuring a grand total of 2830 steps. This is not a hike in what I would consider the usual sense - climbing gradually through trails and rocks. Oh no. It is literally a staircase up the side of a mountain. As the official website calls it, “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster”. Last week, 3 of my exchange friends and I set off to Grouse mountain to tick the hike off our bucket list.

The trail is beautiful. You hike under a thick and magnificent tree canopy. There are signs along the way warning you that there may be black bears or coyotes in the vicinity. It feels very picturesque and genuine, a real Canadian mountainside – that is, of course, except for the stairs. 5 minutes in, and your sweating. 10 minutes in, you’re out of breath and no longer able to hold a conversation. And then when you think you must be approaching half way, you see the sign marking one quarter. And that’s when it hits you; “this is going to be tough”.

The website displays artistic photos of people running up the mountain, looking fresh and without a drop of sweat. This is NOT an accurate portrayal of what the Grind is like. That said, there were people power-walking up the trail, and there is a competitive element involved - the official website documents timings in a leader board. Locals complete the Grind numerous times throughout the season and can literally race each other to the top. The current fastest time for this season stands at 27 minutes and 19 seconds.

1 hour 15 minutes, and a lot of sweat, later, we completed the grind. Safe to say we were not near the 27 minute mark, but the estimated time it takes for an average hiker to complete the Grind is an hour and a half, so we were relatively pleased with our time. The other three could probably have completed the hike significantly quicker than that, but in the spirit of comradery, they waited for me and we reached the summit together. And boy is it worth it. It had been a pretty cloudy day when we travelled to the Mountain, but by the time we reached the top, the clouds had cleared, the sun was out, and the landscape looked beautiful. That, combined with a celebratory beer and a post-exercise adrenaline rush, created a fantastic feeling. The top of Grouse Mountain is also home to two orphaned, rescued grizzly bears, so you can get up close to these incredible creatures. Plus, you get to take the gondola on the way back down, giving you stunning views of Vancouver city and also a smug feeling when you see how steep Grouse Mountain really looks. All in all, it’s an excellent hike.