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The Grouse Grind - Third Quarter |
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Railway ties waiting to be used for more stairs. | |||||||||||
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A wider section of the trail. | |||||||||||
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Every once in a while you will see trails heading off to viewpoints. This point on the Grind is closer to the gondola than any other point and you can see the old blue gondola sometimes without even leaving the Grind. | |||||||||||
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It's hard to tell from this picture but here is one of the few places where you can go left or right around rocky outcrops. "Left or right today?" It's always nice to have a bit of variety. | |||||||||||
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Parts of the trail are quite tricky and you have to place your feet very carefully, especially if it's at all wet. | |||||||||||
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Another rocky outcrop that provides a short alternative route. You can also get quite a nice view of the city from here. | |||||||||||
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This is the viewpoint, but this particular day was a bit hazy and the city did not show up in the picture. | |||||||||||
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This is looking the other way, towards Capilano Reservoir. On a hot day (this particular day was very hot -- 30 C in the city) the water in the reservoir looks quite inviting. | |||||||||||
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Another 'peekaboo' viewpoint. | |||||||||||
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"Left or right?" Use these areas to pass, or to allow others to pass you. | |||||||||||
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The hillside gets progressively steeper and the trail starts to traverse the hill. This results in some pretty dramatic dropoffs. The ropes will keep you on the trail and provide a nice assist. | |||||||||||
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More ropes. | |||||||||||
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Railings as well as ropes will prevent you from stumbling off the trail. Realistically this is not a worry while going up. If you trip, or fall, you won't go far. However, if you're going down the Grind you could end up falling a serious distance. This is one of the reasons I never go down. It's also a bit harder on your knees and you'll have very sore legs the day after. One curious thing about the Grind is that your legs most likely won't be sore the day after. But if you choose to go down be prepared for 'wobbly' legs the next day. (See the bottom of the first page for an explanation.) |
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The rope here is somewhat reassuring. Make sure to look to your right for a nice view. | |||||||||||
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Again, because of the haze you can't really see much of the view, but you should be able to see parts of North Van, West Van and the water. | |||||||||||
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There are a few actual staircases. | |||||||||||
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Just past the staircase in the previous picture you will have a great view of a waterfall. This spot usually feels quite a bit cooler than the rest of the Grind. The waterfall is part of Mackay Creek, which ends up 7km away in Burrard Inlet. | |||||||||||
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Some nice steps built recently on a badly eroded part of the trail. | |||||||||||
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More railway ties waiting to be used. | |||||||||||
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This is the best way to bring young children. Make sure you're fit enough to haul an extra thirty pounds, though! | |||||||||||
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A nice place to pause, just short of the 3/4 Mark sign. | |||||||||||
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You're heading into the home stretch now! | |||||||||||
| Next page -- the fourth quarter | ||||||||||||
Back to Brian's page |
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