Vancouver Grouse Mountain & Capilano

In Vancouver I had a wonderful guide showing me some excellent projects, StarWorks, Jobs West and a brilliant drop in centre. This was supposed to take 2 days - but we did it in one - so I had a day to kill in Vancouver - in the rain. I had wanted to visit Grouse Mountain - but looking out of my bedroom window I could see the cloud shrouding Grouse in a dense 'I am not shifting' type cloud. However without transport and not keen to spend a day dodging in and out of museums my attention returned to Grouse.  The Grouse Grind is a local challenge where the object is to get in shape by taking the almost straight route up.  It is a 2.9 kilometres climb gaining 2560 feet. So if I wasn't going to see much at least I would have a good work out.  

The Grind Timer

I got a local bus and paid my fare through to the Mountain, for $3.75 (about £2.50) I travelled downtown, transferred to a sea bus which ferried passengers across the habour, then another bus took us up into the mountains and dropped us off at the Grind starting point.  Pretty good value I think.

It was a grind.  After 3 weeks of travelling and eating out I am not as fit as I was, however without any distracting views and with a constant stream of people on a narrow path the only option was to get your head down and grind up the hill. After 50 minutes I emerged shaky and dripping but had achieved my aim of completing it in under 1 hour.  They take it seriously in Vancouver and regulars can buy a chip which is swiped at a timer at the start and end of the climb. The day's results are then displayed on a screen. Comparing my time with the record I was pleased that it was respectable. On the way down - cable car to save my knees I then caught a bus to my next destination.  The driver assumed I had taken the cable car up - when I said I'd done the Grind he gave me a free ride down the hill!  A few  people asked me about my day and when the grind is mentioned - they give you their time. It felt good to have completed a local 'must do.' 

Next stop was Capilano Suspension Bridge. The reviews said it was expensive and overrated but I was passing so had to stop in.  It was about $33 (£22) for that you had access to the 'park;' to cross the bridge, walk around a tree top walk and a walkway with views straight down into the valley below and also a variety of nature trails.  I was fully occupied for about 2 hours and enjoyed the views and the information offered. For example in the winter of 2006 a fierce storm battered the area. A large tree could not withstand the onslaught and toppled crashing directly onto the bridge. The park then had the problem of removing 70 tons of tree from a suspension bridge without causing a catapult effect. It was reassuring, when crossing the swinging structure, to know that 70 tons had been absorbed so it was unlikely to send the crossing human cargo crashing 100's of feet to the river below. Apparently if the Statue of Liberty stood in the river the bridge would be at her shoulder height.

Without photo-shopping in the Statue of Liberty!

While walking round the park I viewed Grandma Capilano with respect.  She is the oldest tree in this rainforest and the tallest of her type. However in 1895 loggers cut down what was the oldest at the time, over 400 years with a base 78 feet around and 417 feet tall - (or about a fifth of the Grind height!)

The area is geared up for tourists and several walkways have been constructed to give excellent views of the valley and are impressive in engineering and form.  It was not always like this.  The original bridge was constructed in 1889 and tourists who chose to cross it had a 1 hour walk up a dirt road through bear country to get there.  We were told that as we whizzed down the hill on a free shuttle bus with air conditioning.

As we returned to Vancouver an unusual building was pointed out. It has a narrow base that supports a much wider building. It is nicknamed the mushroom but the main body is cube shaped.  It has been constructed so that it will sway in an earthquake rather than shake. The theory has not yet been tested and from my selfish point of view I hope that remains the case for at least another 2 weeks or so.

The rain washed out my last day in Vancouver and spoilt my plans to cycle around Stanley Park.  However the lonely traveller has mundane things like washing to do.  So as the rain tapped relentlessly on the streets of Vancouver I caught up on the jobs that needed doing and prepared for the next leg of my journey - getting the ferry to Vancouver Island and Nanaimo.

One of the tree walk structures in Capilano park