OT -- Grouse Grind next week
 

I am visiting Vancouver BC for a couple of days on business, and our customer has invited us to join several of their employees on their weekly ascent up the Grouse Grind.

http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/grouse-grind/

http://www.google.com/images?q=grous...w=1001&bih=599

I am hoping my years of cycling, including assaults on numerous hills, will prepare me for this. Stay tuned ... :eek:

enjoy the :beer: at the top and the ride down. and if you get the chance take an amble on the Seawall and enjoy the scenic views. You can rent cruiser style bikes near Stanley Park in order to ride the Seawall. http://www.stanleyparkcycle.com/

It will likely be crowded, it's almost "take a number" to go up (sort of like being in Le Bourgue d'Oisins in August to climb Alpe d'Huez). But hiking up a steep hill uses most of the same muscles used in cycling, so you'll do just fine. Just don't let them talk you into hiking back down - you will definitely hurt yourself if you do! I've heard of guys not being able to walk the next day! They have a gondola that will take you back down. It used to be free (only pay going up), but hiking up Grouse got to be too popular, so now you have to pay both ways. Nice views at the top, especially if it's a clear day, nice restaurant - have a leisurely meal as the sun sets and the lights below come on.

Luis

I concur, Luis -- great advice. When playing tourist in various places, including the towers and domes of European cathedrals, Boston's Bunker Hill monument, high-rise hotels, the foothills along Alaska's Inside Passage, Lake Tahoe, various Utah mountain resorts, etc., I have consistently verified that climbing is much more knee-friendly than descending. One of my Boston-based friends jokes about my running up the Bunker Hill monument stairs and then limping down. Likewise, my wife and I were glad to ride the gondola back down from High Camp after hiking up from Squaw Valley.

so how was the "Grind"?