Hiked the 5th most dangerous trail in the world today

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According to Outside Magazine's list last year, anyways.

The Grouse Grind - basically 2.9km of stairs up a mountainside. Didn't come anywhere near my best time. But I had a great time in the woods and that's the 5th time I've done it and I still haven't taken the tram back down the mountain - 99% of people do, but I always head down the other trails. You're not allowed to go down the Grind - too many people coming up, typically, and it's too narrow in spots for 2 way traffic, especially on weekends when it's really really busy. I like that the trails are so poorly marked on th way down it's REALLY easy to get a little lost. It's resulted in taking a slightly different path down each time, seeing different relics in the woods from old chairlifts & cabins etc, different plants, different rock formations, different birds/animals etc. It's just so super calming & grounding. The entire North Shore is so full of outdoors/mountains stuff to do it's ridiculous. Mmmmaaaybe someday I'll end up living in that part of town?

It's really NOT that dangerous at all. I think it got on the list because 3 people have died on it since 1999 - 2 of which were due to heart attacks. It's a very popular trail now that sees 150,000 people a year use it. Pretty sure that's how they ended up on the list.. with that many people using it, there's bound to be some accidents here and there. It's really not that dangerous, though. There are little kids (~7) all the way up to people nearing 90 years old on it. Today I got passed by some guy who was at least in his 70's! He was in great cardio shape whereas my cardio has slipped the past few months as I haven't been running as much and have put on more muscle mass.

Where is that located?

I know: Google is my friend LOL. Just trying to make conversation here.

Grouse Grind! How cool! And I love it when those little kids just go freaking traipsing right up past all the Serious Hikers. How was the weather?

Grouse Mountain, one of the three Coast Mountains in North Vancouver, BC, Canada.. about a 50km drive from where I live in the suburbs.

Heh, yeah. There were plenty of people that passed me - but no kids this time.

The weather was warm (around 20C) and very humid. A few drops of rain fell here and there and there were clouds/fog hanging in the air up closer to the top.

Sounds like a beautiful place!

I've spent most of my life in the Greater Vancouver area, but have yet to actually hit the Grouse Grind. Fifth most dangerous trail in the world?! Yeah right!! Funny, I thought that the Grouse Grind would be more than just 2.9 km. I really like Lynn Canyon Park, as far as North Shore nature goes!

Yes.. yes it is.

Here, google images has better pics than I snapped on my blackberry:

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&site= ... FGuHvu47MQ

I was born in Vancouver and didn't go do the Grind until 2 Summers ago when I did it every Saturday in August. I'd get up after a couple hours sleep, jog 4km to the bus, take the 5:35am bus to the Skytrain, the first train I could catch to the Seabus, the Seabus over to Londsdale, then the bus to the base of the Skyride @ Grouse. I'd get there at 8:51am and have 1h 09min to make it to the top in time for the free yoga class from Y-Yoga. Then after the yoga session I'd have lunch that I packed with me, then hike to the peak to check out the views. Then I'd hike back down the other trails to the base of Grouse again, taking a different route each time. The first time I got a bit lost and ended up coming down the old chairlift line (cool relics in the woods!) and over to Fromme mountain where I ended up coming out at the top of Skyline Drive in North Van. Bus it back to the Seabus, Seabus to Skytrain, train to Granville.. walk down to the beach to watch the international fireworks competition in English Bay with about a few hundred thousand other people, trek back to the train.. train, bus, walk 4km home. I covered 40km on my feet every Saturday that August of 2012.

As for the North Shore, I'm planning on driving right passed it on my way to Squamish this Summer to go kiteboarding again. I think I have the fitness and coordination now to get out there and rip it up on the water better than I ever could in the past!