Vancouver, day 2: driven to return

Today I accepted the challenge of the Grouse Grind and lost. It will not be the last time!

The Grind is an unrelentingly steep trail up a ski resort's mountainside just north of Vancouver. The trail is almost 3 km long with a vertical ascent of 0.85 km (2,800 ft.). If you look at this photo and think "right, stairs," keep in mind that it's the equivalent of climbing a 280-story building if there were one in the world, but the stairs are uneven, mostly far steeper than those in a building, and often just slippery steppingstones. Thousands of people do it every year. Dawn, Konia, and Jordi did it. The young woman in this photo taken near the bottom was trotting as she went by. I was taking a photo as cover for stopping to catch my breath.

I made it a bit past the sign that says you're 1/4 of the way up and decided I wasn't going to make it this trip - too sore in the quads and one knee, too blinded by fogged-up glasses in this temperate rain forest, and on the way to becoming too dehydrated despite the cool air, extreme humidity, and occasional drizzle. So I struggled back down with my glasses off - blurry vision better than none at all, backing down the worst parts to avoid a fall. Everyone else was still going up, including one or two older and fitter than I, but all were sympathetic. The only joke was a friendly one: "If you forgot to bring money [for the tram ride back down the mountain] I'll lend you the $5." I'll be back, and I'll be ready to do the whole climb.

Once I could see to drive I headed back to Vancouver for more walking (what else?). I followed the seawall trail out of Stanley Park to the downtown waterfront: on my left yachts, cruise boats, seaplanes, and lovely views similar to yesterday's, and on my right modern office buildings, the spectacular Convention Center (partly roofed with grass as you can see here) and passenger ship terminal (the tent-like roof), and parks that give office workers a place to unwind. A beautiful city that really uses its waterfront and that, like Victoria, is home to a lot of astonishingly wealthy people.

I'll impose on you once more with my passion for air- and watercraft. Here's one of two seaplanes I saw take off today, just before liftoff.

Walking on the flat trail was hard at first, with my legs feeling like putty from the Grind, and going up stairs was worse. I'm tempted to stay for another try at the Grind tomorrow but it's clear that it'll take more than a day to recover, and longer still to shape up for another try.