Grouse Mountain is the nearest ski resort to downtown Vancouver, just across the water, and we had a fun but cold time up there last year when Chevron held it's Christmas party at the top - Santa, reindeer, and an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. It was one of the best days of my life! It changes a bit in the summer, what with all the snow melting and stuff, but you can still ride to the top on the cable car for $42 and enjoy the alpine meadows.
Or you can save yourself some cash and walk! When the ski slopes close the Grouse Grind opens, a 2,800ft ascent, including 2,830 roughly-hewn steps, in a little under two miles. It's a challenge, the kind of challenge that crazy people like to run up. The record from bottom to top is 23 mins 48 secs. I started whinging about how steep is was after two minutes, probably not a course record in itself.
To be fair, I was carrying a 28lb baby while most - and there were many on this beautiful sunny day - pottered up in trainers burdening themselves with little more than lycra and a bottle of water. And, as promised, it was steep! Just as I'd hauled my aching carcass up one waist-high uneven step, there was another one! Or another hiker's sweaty bottom if it happened to be a crowded bit. There was plenty of motivation to get it over with as quickly as possible.
Still, we started at a slow and steady pace, like in the fable, and it was very satisfying around half-way when we started passing people who had hared off ahead of us at the beginning. It was less satisfying to be constantly passed by 7 and 8-yr-olds skipping up like mountain goats, and octogenarians who obviously do this every couple of days. I'm not in perfect physical condition like back when I was...wait, I've never been in perfect physical condition! But we managed to get to the summit, impressive and high at 3,700 ft, in an hour-and-a-half.
Pete seemed a little disappointed that Santa had gone, but we did get to see a couple of rescued grizzly bears that live in a 5-acre habitat at the top. They were lounging in a pond to stay cool. After a short look around we hobbled over on seized knees to the cable car. You're not allowed to Grouse Grind down, and have to pay $10 for the easy touristy descent! But I reckon about half the people at the top had hiked - Vancouverites are a mightily fit bunch - and my estimate was confirmed by the bouquet within the jam-packed, large, enclosed cable car. It was certainly piquant in there, zesty, and somewhat gamey - redolent, one might say, of ground grouse.
Pete's ready for the physical exertion.
Risk...blah blah...legal rights...etc...ok, let's go.
Fresh at the bottom.
50%, that's a pass mark, right? Can we stop now?
One of the more forgiving sections.
What a shame, as I really wanted to repeat all that in reverse.
We've made it! I was told, by more than one fellow grinder, that I was brave (which, in this context, is a synonym for stupid).
But the view was worth it. Maybe.
Now this is the way to get down!
The same size that you normally look.
Here are their rescued orphan bears!
And here's a man dressed as a bear. Pete, who deigns to hug his parents maybe once a week, could not be parted from this embrace! It was actually a bit worrying.
Shanks' pony is cheaper than cable car.
Pete checks to see if it's possible to open a window. It is not.
Finally back home, and daddy can "enjoy" a "massage" from his "grateful" son. I think we'll leave it a few months before attempting that walk again.
