This weekend I had the priviledge of attending a well known hike in British Columbia, Canada called the "Grouse Grind" on Grouse Mountain. I have successfully completed the Grouse Grind before. But I have to say, after playing two ice hockey games the previous day, and my legs (and every other muscle in my body) being torn apart, I was not keen on the idea of a hike. But nevertheless, my fellow Personal Trainers, a personal client of mine, and the beautiful sunshine that awoke me, convinced me that it didn't sound like such a bad idea.
This is me, wondering whether I was going to make it or not. Grouse mountain is kind of a sub-culture on its own. There are the regulars who are absolutely insane and attempt the Grind many times a week, families who bring their kids out on a Sunday to teach the simplicity of fitness, and the tourists whom have never seen a mountain (just joking). I am extremely impressed by how many people were actually out at the grind.
Whenever you attend the Grouse Grind you want to
- make sure you go to the washroom which is located in the main building at the bottom of the mountain before the hike begins.
- create some sort of food and water back up; such as granola bars, fruit, or something that is quick to consume, along with a nice tall bottle of water.
- Write down the emergency contact number that is on all the signs at the entrance/starting point of the Grind.
- Carry a sweater or jacket because on cooler days it can get quite a bit colder on the top of the mountain.
- Wear a good pair of runners. ( I saw a few people in a dress shirt and dress pants and another in a pair of slip-on shoes). CAN YOU SAY "COME ON PEOPLE!!!!!"
- Make sure you are wearing a watch so that you can time yourself for improvement for the next time you decide to get CRAZY and hike the mountain again.
We got to the starting gate, synchronized our watches, checked our personal clock time, and were on our way. The first half of the course is absolutely relaxing and enjoyable.
The last half of the Grind involves strong mental focus because you are constantly wondering "When am I going to get to the top!". My friend Jen said she knew she was getting close to the top because she saw somebody coming down the mountain with a steaming 3/4 cup full of Starbucks Coffee HAHA! That was her marker that she was getting close.
This is an example of what the steps look like while hiking up the mountain. As you can see, we were not rock climbing. Performing the Grouse Grind is like jumping on the STAIR MASTER 5000, only you aren't confined within 4 walls, but rather, the beauty of nature.
When you come out to the top of the grind you will immediately see 6 things:
- A BUNCH OF SMILING FACES.
- PEOPLE EATING LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW. I myself had an Isagenix Meal Replacement Bar.
- A BUNCH OF HAPPY FACES.
- PEOPLE LOOKING LIKE THEY ARE READY FOR HIBERNATION (sleeping that is).
- People checking their times and bragging with their friends about who beat who.
- A beautiful moutain top scenery overlooking the entire Greater Vancouver area.
There is no greater feeling of self accomplishment that knowing you have climbed a mountain. My time turned out to be pretty decent at 57 mins. I was pretty happy with that considering I was hiking at a moderate, but steady pace.
I recommend for beginners and intermediates to take a slow and steady pace if you are looking to work on your fitness levels.
When you get to the top of the mountain, you have 1 of 2 options. You can either hike your butt back down the mountain, or say "forget that" (or in any other words you might want to rephrase that statement) and head up to the mountain top main building where you can catch the gondola back down.
The gondola costs $5.00 straight fee. One of the gondolas was broken down so we had to wait in line for quite awhile, but I got to meet some really interesting and good people while standing in line.
This is a picture of where the gondola should have been on the cables, which kind of had us worried to know if the gondola was physically removed or had landed in the trees somewhere HAHA!
Nevertheless, we managed to rip cord our way down the mountain (just joking).
At the bottom of the mountain, there is a place where you can observe wolves. The cage is completely fenced in so you don't have to worry about having your arm knawed off by a cute doggy. The fences are electric which keeps the wolves from leaving their pen.
That information would've been nice to know ahead of time before this next picture was taken. I really needed to go to the washroom.
All in all, a good day was had by all, and I suggest that you take the time out of your day to experience the pleasure of the "Grouse Grind".
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