Today we decided to do a hike called the Grouse Grind and the clue is very much in the name as to say it was a grind would be a massive understatement! This hike was a recommendation from Tom, Sarah’s husband (who we’re never talking to again…haha!). The picture below is from the carpark and we couldn’t quite believe that we would soon be embarking up it!

The hike was basically a trek up the face of Grouse mountain in north Vancouver, and according to their website is commonly referred to as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster!” and is a popular workout for fitness enthusiasts. There were actually people stretching at the bottom which made us slightly concerned at what we were going to be up against. The hike consists of 2830 stairs and is 2.5km (1.55 miles) in length and is 1090 metres to the summit. It was one continual climb up steep stairs or scrambling up rocks.

There were marker points as you got 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 of the way up and I swear when we got to merely 1/4 it felt like we’d already climbed Everest! Also at this point there was a poster of doom warning you that you should seriously consider if you can do the rest (or turn back) as you’d done the “easy” part and it would soon get harder, and by harder they mean steeper and narrower! Not exactly the motivational poster we needed at that point.

We ignored the warning and powered on, a decision we regretted as we began to wonder where the 1/2 marker was…

Anyway, it took us about 1hr 45mins of constant climbing to reach the summit, and according to Si’s watch burned 1,100 calories!

Once you made it to the top you were rewarded for your hard work with some stunning views and a cafe to get a drink and a snack.

You aren’t actually allowed to walk back down (not that we had the energy to), so instead you have to get a cable car and it’s as you are travelling down on this that you really get a sense of just how steep and high you have just hiked.

So did we enjoy it?!…well, it felt great to get to the top and there was a real sense of accomplishment at the end. Would we do it again…no chance! There are actually people who do it repeatedly in order to “beat” their previous times. I’m personally pleased with our time of 1hr45min and have no desire to better it.

It will be interesting to see how our legs feel in the morning.

More from us later.

Lucy