Grouse Grind Mountain Climb! {Recap}

So Saturday, the day after the Night Run Vancouver 10k, I should actually say, the morning after the Night Run Vancouver 10k–we woke up, bright and early, to climb Vancouver’s most famous mountain!


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.


Trail Facts

Length
: 2.9 kilometres (1.8 miles)
Elevation Gain: 853 metres (2,800 feet)
Total Stairs: 2,830
Average Time: On average, it takes up to an hour and a half to complete the hike. For novice hikers, two hours is recommended.
Source

Mother Nature’s Stairmaster. How could you NOT want to do that, right???
As I’d mentioned in my race recap, it was cold in Vancouver (for me) and I purchased a very expensive hoodie as I’d come unprepared to climb up a mountain in what seemed to me freezing temps, lol.
We started the climb and right away, started going UP. The stairs seriously seemed never ending.
When we climbed Mt. Humphrey’s, Arizona’s highest peak, there were landings where we’d often rest. Not with Grouse Mountain. There were just stairs going up and up and up. Occasionally, I’d just pull off to the side and let people pass.
The trail of steps are narrow, so they’ve made it a one way trip. People can only go up and then you have to take the Sky Lift to come back down.
This actually made me feel better because it wasn’t far into the climb that I started to ask, Are we there yet?
Up and up and up
It took us almost exactly an hour and a half! There was this cafe type building at the top of the mountain where one could eat and buy souvenirs. We rested, snacked, and then decided to get back down as quickly as we could.
On the Sky Lift, we had amazing views of what we’d just climbed. It was actually really cool to see as there had been quite a bit of fog on our climb up that we hadn’t really seen any views.
It was a perfect morning hike, tough, but we were glad we were able to cross off Grouse Grind on our list!
I hope everyone has a great weekend!!! Happy October!!! 😀
❤ , helly
–Are you a fan of the stair master?
–Have you thought of your Halloween costume yet?

Bisbee 1000–The Ultimate Stair Climb

Every year for our anniversary, October 23, my husband and I plan on doing something fun. “Fun” of course is different for everyone.

Last year, after reading up on its awesomeness, we decided that on our anniversary weekend we’d run the Bisbee 1000 stair climb race. If you’ve never heard of it, let me explain why this is something to put on your must-do list:

Bisbee, Arizona is absolutely beautiful. It’s a really small town nestled in hills and looks like one of those little villages inside of a snow globe. It almost looks fake of how perfect it is. The buildings are old school and the whole town feels like it never left the 1800’s.

Everyone is extremely friendly. Everywhere you go it seems like everyone is happy you’re there.

The food is amazing. You can’t go wrong with eating in Bisbee. I especially like Café Roka. Apparently a lot of people do—(make reservations!).

Hotel accommodations are an adventure! You can stay at The (haunted) Copper Queen Hotel or one of the many bed and breakfasts available where each one is decorated to a specific theme.

There are so many things to see and do in Bisbee. You can spend the whole day walking around looking at the many shops, galleries, and bookstores and get a workout all while you’re doing it! Bisbee was an old mining town and you can see the great big hole where copper was taken from the earth. There are even tours of the mine itself.

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The race. The race is a 5k (technically 4.5 miles) where throughout the course are nine sets of stairs of various amounts that you need to climb. The first set, the Bandshell, consists of 73 steps; the Opera, 100 steps; Maxfield, 181, and so forth.

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You start the race excited that you’re doing something unique and different. It’s advertised as the only outdoor stair climb race in the U.S. But after the first couple of sets, you realize that this is serious business. There really is no way to prepare for running at race pace with 1000+ (1034 total) stairs sprinkled throughout the course.

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But as you’re running up the stairs, you’re giving yourself a better and better view of the town. Remember, this place is beautiful. You can’t help but admire the picturesque views as you’re gasping for air.

The stairs themselves are unique. Some of them are painted, some have been tiled, some are worn down and cracked. Most of the stairs are right next to houses and as you climb, you’re cheered on by the people sitting in their porches. One was playing the banjo for the racers.

You definitely feel like you’re a part of something special when you run this race. It’s almost like you’re in a whimsical place, somewhere far, far away. Imaginary.

I like races that are unique, that have a story, that when after you run it, you become a part of that story. I’m glad I’m someone that can tell this one.

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