The Grouse Grind: what doesn't kill you only makes you sore,wet, and cold.

(Me nearing the top of the Grouse Grind and soaking wet!)

Hello family and friends,

This past week has been busy! I really miss the farm and the family, and am sad to have to leave this beautiful city. NOTE: This is my last post until mid-January when I'll be writing from Hong Kong and Southeast Asia! Stick around for more...

Today was my last day in Vancouver and I decided to end it with a bang! This morning I hopped on the seabus to the city of North Vancouver (just directly across from downtown Vancouver) and then bussed up to Grouse Mountain, in the Capilano region. I wanted to take the Grouse Grind trail, which is this ridiculously strenuous, steep, and intense hike up to the peak of Grouse Mountain where there's a ski lodge and resort-type thing. The elevation gain is about 3,000 ft. over about 2 miles almost straight uphill. It's about 45 degrees incline the entire way up.

So it was raining when I began the trail. That should have foreshadowed the suffering to come, but ignoring that, and the fact that at the trailhead there was a large group of Canadian Army soldiers about to ascend probably for training purposes, I began. You immediately start climbing. And climbing. And climbing. At about the 1/4 mark, I felt like I just ran a marathon. Water was pouring down and clinging to my soaked body, and I'm not sure if it was rain or sweat. I think both. At one point I was panting and trying to breathe and a few guys passed me on the way downhill and they had said they were giving up and that up ahead a few big guys were barfing.

But I continued. Slowly but steadily. I felt that I could turn back at any point if I couldn't take it anymore, but in actuality I knew I wouldn't let this trail best me. Quite a few people passed me, especially a few old men wearing running tights that told me they did this regularly. One guy as we rested told me he was a smoker and couldn't continue on up, so he started descending.

Over all, I had a hell of a time going up, and finally when I began to see pockets of sky creeping among the leafy foliage overhead, I saw fresh powdered snow everywhere, and it was lightly snowing! So here I am, drenched from head to toe from rain and sweat, and here comes this added snow.

When I reached the top I got hot chocolate and a blueberry muffin, and then took the gondola down the mountain (which took 8 minutes, damn it!). I was squeezed in with a bunch of the army guys who were pretty obnoxious, I ain't gonna lie.

I'm about to head off to a nice hot shower and get ready to spend a great evening enjoying Vancouver!! Ciao. Here I come, San Jose!


(At the Chinese garden just on the periphery of Chinatown.)


(Me on the bridge planks hiking in Lynnbrook Canyon.)


(Here's Christine, the wonderful lady I'm staying with right now who is wonderful company and an inspiring person!)


(In the summertime teenagers jump/dive off the canyon walls into this water! But when I went it was freezing.)


(On the suspension bridge!)


(By the roaring canyon river)


(After I climbed up Grouse Mountain! My backpack weighed like lead.)


(Snowy paradise!)


(Burrrrrrrrrrrrr)


(At the start of the trip trailing the Army guys)


(At the beginning of the trail. That large yellow sign is a disclaimer of responsibility and "go at your own risk" type of notice.)


(Fireworks outside my window on Halloween!)


(from Prospect Point at Stanley Park while I was doing my seawall trail hike. I really fell in love with that 8km loop and did it twice!)