Grouse mountain

With only 2 weeks left I had one important thing left on my Vancouver bucket list, go up Grouse and watch the sunset.

Last Sunday we got treated with some awesome weather, the fog is gone!

So it was the ideal day to visit Grouse mountain, the peak of Vancouver.

I have been on Cypress mountain before, skiing, in February 2012, the view was one of the most amazing views I have ever seen, the Ocean, the mountains the city. I went night skiing that day so I watched the sunset and all the lights turn on, simply stunning.

But Grouse is a lot closer to the city, so the city view is better and it is easier to reach.

Around 2 pm Daniël and I met at Waterfront station, downtown Vancouver, to catch the sea bus north (also known as the cheapest ocean cruise ;)). On the North shore we took a bus directly to Grouse mountain. The total travel time from waterfront station was about 45 minutes, so not too bad.

We got one ticket for the gondola for free, because I was in the wheelchair, always nice.

We went up and visited the grizzly bears; Grinder and Coola.

Grinder

Grinder was found in 2001 in Invermere, BC. He was wandering alone on a logging road, dehydrated, thin, weak and weighing only 4.5 kg. His mother was never found so we’ll probably never know why he was alone. Grinder is outgoing and high-spirited. And he has established himself as the dominant bear despite his smaller size. If you see Grinder and Coola play fighting, you can bet he started it. 

Coola

In 2001, Coola was found orphaned on a highway near Bella Coola, BC. His mother had been killed by a truck and, of her three cubs, Coola was the only one to survive. Coola is an easygoing bear who’s content to let Grinder take the lead in new discoveries. He can usually be found submerged up to his neck in the large pond, carefully feeling around for his underwater 'bath toys' - a log, large bone and favourite rock. 

(http://www.grousemountain.com/wildlife-refuge)

The bears were at their fattest, close to hibernation state, all though we learned that day that bears don’t completely hibernate. They will be awake for about 15 minutes a day to do some grooming and bear yoga (so Vancouverite of them), on the other hand they won’t eat or go to the bathroom. Yep the bears were very cute and all.

We settled ourselves down on the patio with the best view ever to be ready for the sunset.

We watched some people finishing the Grouse grind, kind of an extreme hike, unfortunately not something that I would be able to do because it sounds so cool.

 The Grouse Grind

The Grouse Grind® is a 2.9-kilometre trail up the face of Grouse Mountain, commonly referred to as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster.”

This trail is very challenging. Keep in mind that there is a wide range of mountaintop trails that might better suit the average hiker.

Length: 2.9 kilometres (1.8 miles) 

Elevation Gain: 853 metres (2,800 feet)
Base: 274 metres above sea level (900 feet)
Summit: 1,127 metres (3,700 feet)
Total Stairs: 2,830 

Statistics: Annually, over 100,000 people hike the trail.
Average Time: On average it takes up to an hour and a half to complete the hike. For novice hikers, two hours is recommended.
Participants: Hikers range in age from 7 to 90, with an equal male/female split.

(http://www.grousemountain.com/grousegrind)

Well anyway some people took their shirts off while they probably should have kept it on, people are trying to enjoy the view here ;).

Around 6pm the sun set, it was absolutely stunning, better in real life then pictures, but you try. (all pictures in album October)

After the sunset it cooled down pretty quick, and it wasn’t that warm to start with. So we took the gondola down.

 Another bus, seabus and another bus ride to go to Kits, we had a nice dinner at Selma’s place, Good way to finish the weekend.