Quarter-grinder

So I tried the Grouse Grind for the first time.

A high school friend was in town for the day, we’d hashed options for what to do, he suggested the Grind, and I said yes. Maybe foolishly, but I want to make it more of a habit to say “yes” to things, and honestly I’d been curious about this local thing that so many people have been banging on about for ages. So we finalised plans, and off we went on this gorgeous Sunday.

The start of the Grouse Grind: surrounded by tall trees, a few people ahead of us on the trail — The start, or pretty close to it

Well, I knew I was in trouble pretty quick. Not that I ever expected to break any records, but this was way harder than I expected.

Then we got to the 25% mark. And I saw the sign saying that it would get EVEN STEEPER AND MORE CHALLENGING from this point and noped right out. Even if I hadn’t been huffing and puffing harder and harder, my increasingly frequent rest stops couldn’t help the fact that my legs were starting to feel like jelly.

So we went back down. And I feel a little sad we didn’t finish, but hey! I Not such a bad run for my first attempt. Though if I ever feel like trying a second time, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me, with lots of training montages.

A view from the Grouse Grind trail, looking down the slope. Just a lot of narrow trees and some green underbrush — Cool view at least

And then we went up, and enjoyed the top of Grouse Mountain with the rest of the hardcore crowd. This Violet-green Swallow taking a rest while we waited for lunch, seemed a good omen welcoming me to the space. I’d never gotten a good photo or even a good look at them before, they were always flying around in terrible light. Note that this individual was just one of many, many swallows zipping hither and yon, of at least three species I’m sure of: Violet-green, Barn and Rough-winged. I wouldn’t have thought there were enough bugs to feed them, but I guess I was wrong.

A Violet-green Swallow up on a metal pole — You’re worth it!

I mean, there are certainly enough bugs to feed this junco! Or its chicks, most likely. Damn, that is a bounty.

A Dark-eyed Junco in a tree, at a bit under eye leve, carrying a mass of little bugs in its beak — Bringing home the bacon

And then wandering around the trails for a bit. Here’s Blue Grouse Lake and the híwus Feasthouse, where Squamish Nation elders lead guests into all sorts of activities. Not sure what wires are about, but we saw a bunch of them around the trails. I assume they’re lights?

A little lake in the mountains, under blue sky and tall conifers. There are wires overhead, and a wooden structure with an Indigenous-style orca painted on, on the other side — Serene

I was a bit disappointed there weren’t better views of Vancouver. I mean, aside from atmospheric haze, I wished there weren’t so many trees 🙁

View of downtown Vancouver from the top of Grouse Mountain. It is hazy with distance, and partly hidden behind trees. But we can see part of Stanley Park and a bunch of tall towers

Then we visited Cleveland Dam. Capilano Lake is looking splendid!

A view of Capilano Lake, framed by mountains, under a mostly blue sky. The twin peaks of the Lions are visible way in the distance

Here again, I could see any number of swallows over the water an park. I managed to capture these two dogfighting above me. The one on the left is a Violet-green Swallow, I’m pretty sure, and the other one I’ll tentatively tag as a Cliff Swallow (white chest, dark throat, stubby tail).

Will I attempt the Grind again at some point? Ehhhhhhhh maybe? Never say never, but… yeah, it’ll take a lot of training.

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