Parents-Only Vacation: Day 4, North Vancouver

Day 4, North Vancouver, BC

Today we found Vancouver’s sweet spot, and that’s just a little north of the city. We’d read about a hike up Grouse Mountain that is supposed to be very popular, and since we both like hiking we thought we’d give the hike a try. So, across Lions Gate Bridge we went in search of the Grouse Grind. Along the way we found Dutch breakfast place, De PannekoekenHouse, which is pure heaven on earth if you’re an Afrikaaner. Pannekoeke! Pannekoeke for most of you will resemble crepes, except the batter is thicker and more yummy. And at De Pannekoeken House they come topped with all sorts of things, Keith went the meat route while I had apple & cheddar. It was a huge breakfast and we were feeling somewhat guilty for eating so much, but little did we know we’d be burning that all off in the next two hours. Just north from the breakfast place is the start of the hike. There were loads of people, all starting off the hike with a spring in their step. The hike is beautiful, with large trees & mosses and ferns creating a peaceful vibe. The trail itself is pretty much a stairway. From previous hikes we knew that some trails start with stairs, and then level out as it zigzags across the side of the mountain. Not this hike though. Whomever decided that instead of having the trail go back and forth, they’d rather just climb directly up the mountain. Seriously. It’s a stairway all the way up, with some smallish steps, some normal-ish, and then mostly a bunch of large double steps. With occasional boulders thrown in for good measure. At 30 minutes into the hike Keith jokingly said that he bets we’re 1/8 of the way there, and I said nooooooooo, I bet it’s more like halfway. 10 minutes later we passed the ¼ way sign. Damn. But we’re not quitters, so on we went! Took us about an hour and a half, but we finished it and didn’t even collapse when it was all said and done. We did take the airtram down because we weren’t sure our old knees would be able to handle the beating the downward hike would give.

The rest of the day was mostly spent at Stanley Park, a gorgeous urban park jutting out into a peninsula. It was a great way to wrap out an outdoorsy day.