I Climbed The Grouse Grind

[Update: I've added photos that I took, before and after the hike, to the end of the blog entry.]

I've been waiting to climb the Grouse Grind for ages. I finally completed it, yesterday. I did it in 1 h 20 m. I thought that I did well, but I was below average.

In the remainder of the blog entry, I'll talk about my experiences, and give you some important information.

As far as the important information goes, going downhill is now prohibited. I do not know why, and I did not bother asking the staff. It costs $10 for the ride down the mountain.

As far as the experience goes, it went quite well. I had a positive experience.

I was going slow, because I did not want to burn myself out. I managed to get to the top without raising much of a sweat. You can imagine how slow I was, and how cold the weather must have been. Also, I wanted to go with a group that was taking it easy, to ensure that I did not hurt myself if I were to fall. I did have a phone with me, and there was reception, but I just did not want to take any chances in unfamiliar territory.

The outing started around 2pm, when I left the home. I felt a little bit lazy, and I was not too excited about the weather. Also, because of the length of the transit trips, I wondered if I could really get back before early. Because there would never be a convenient time for me, I decided to throw caution to the wind, and just do it. This would be the most perfect time, because I had a free day, a 3 zone 1 month transit pass, my health, and the clothes to do it. I could not think of a better time than the present.

I was intending to alone, and maybe tag along with strangers, if I met any along the way. It just so happened that 1 gal and 2 guys sat next to me on the last bus. After I listened to their conversation for a while, I joined in. We ended up talking a bit about the hike. After we got off the bus, I decided to ask if I could join their hike. I thought that I had enough rapport with them, that it would be okay. So, we decided to hike together.

It turned out to be a good idea, because I was able to get to know them a little. I enjoyed learning about the different countries that the guys traveled to, and how they were really competitive. 1 of them went ahead of us, early in the hike, to beat his personal record.

I chatted with that fellow after the hike. It turned out that he attends Oxford. It was very interesting.

After I arrived at home, I went out again to treat myself to ice cream at a relatively new place, since there was a coupon.

All in all, I'd say that it was a pretty good day.

I do not know if I would ever do it again, because it is something that does not fascinate me. It would be something that I would categorize under, "Been there. Done that.". It is just 1 item on the list of things to experience before I die.

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