Hiking is the most popular summer activity for Vancouverites.
So, at the invitation of my friend, I went hiking at Grouse mountain!!
There are many places to hike, and I think Grouse Mountain is one of the toughest mountains to climb for beginners.
I mean “for beginners”. Experienced hikers may find it easier.
Before I went to Grouse Mountain, I was like maybe it’s peace of cake to climb.
But it was overconfidence. What an optimistic person I am lol
To be honest, it was hard to climb, but there was a beautiful view and some wonderful entertainments at the top 😀
I’m gonna write about how hard it was and how enjoy it was!
Entrance
30-40 minutes by bus from downtown to the mountains in North Vancouver.
There is a hiking entrance near the bus stop, and there are mountain climbing goods shops, vending machines, and Starbucks.
We can see Starbucks anywhere lol
If you are not confident in hiking, you can also use the ropeway. You can reach the summit in 5 minutes.
However, $20 one way,,,,. Why so expensive in Canada.
Btw, if you are a beginner, it usually takes more than 2 hours.
Let’s get started!
Steep hiking trail
It was a steeper road than I expected.
I was surprised cuz an endless series of steep stairs with no loose trails!
But It was a lot of fun to walk in the rich nature, and we talked about various things while hiking.
We also had a deep conversation about English education in each other’s countries and the future of their home countries. I was out of breath thou.
I’m always curious and want to ask about the culture of that person’s country, English education, etc.
The views got better as we climb.
My friend didn’t look tired at all, on the other hand, I was exhausted at the last part of trail.
But I didn’t want to lose to my friend, so I pretended to be fine lol
To be honest, I was like my leg is about to break!!
Top of the mountain
We finally made it to the summit!!!
Magnificent sight!!!
There are restaurants and cafes at the top where you can take a break.
There is also a torch for the Vancouver Olympics.
13 years ago,,,. Time flies. I was 14 at the time. I wasn’t sure where Vancouver was, and I never thought I would live there.
There is still snow! It’s June thou!
I was like “Did I time travel to winter!?”
Go further, we found retro huts and show venues.
We saw a hilarious show at the place and it was a full house!
The air is clean and the time flows slowly. It is a peaceful place that cannot be expressed in words.
Beautiful sky view
We faced bears!!!
You can see bears from safe place.
It may be the first time I’ve seen bears!!
It’s big and moves slowly, but it seems that bears run fast lol
In Japan, if you encounter a bear, you can be taught the tip of pretending to be dead to protect yourself. lol
I don’t know if it works, but I don’t have the courage to pretend to be dead in front of bear lol
We used a ropeway for the return because I didn’t have energy to go down the mountain on foot.
So, It was awesome experience for me and I’m grateful to my friends who invited me.
I thought no matter how hard it was, keeping my head up and moving forward was similar to my currently life.
Even when it’s painful, if we advance step by step, we’ll eventually reach the goal.
Btw, I’ll continue to work hard towards my goal without stopping.
