As I was quick to find out while trying to train and stay in shape, living in British Columbia means hills. Going up them, going down them. Many people have heard of the Grouse Grind which is a trail that takes you up Grouse Mountain (rather than taking the gondola).
I haven’t done that one yet, but there is also the Abby Grind in Abbotsford, which is more convenient, since Abbotsford is where I live. I’ve wanted to tackle this one for a while but I waited till I didn’t have the Cultus Lake Triathlon on the horizon. This weekend was my chance, especially since the weather was nice and dry.
The trail starts off steep, which is good preparation for what is to come. There are few flat or even gradual stretches to give you relief from climbing. And don’t count on stairs or ladders to make things easier either. There were times I don’t think I made more than 10 feet of elevation progress before I wanted to catch my breath. I did appreciate the signs marking the 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 marks.
There’s at least one good lookout before the top, but I think it was before the 1/4 mark, so there’s plenty of time to wish you were at the top.
There were plenty of people of all ages, shapes and sizes making their way up and down the trail, so that’s encouraging to anyone who wants to try it; one just has to take one’s time. There aren’t a lot of markers to reassure you that you’re going the right way, but the trail is always obvious, and the right way is to go is up. Eventually of course, you’re treated to the glory of making it to the top and enjoying the view.
Going down seems easier at first, but I slipped a few times in the dust. I avoided falling on my butt, however my recovery was probably more dangerous since I ended up correcting by taking some steps forward onto uncertain footing and could have pitched downhill. I thought I spent roughly an hour going up and a half hour coming back down, but Strava makes it look like it was roughly equal time in each direction. I’d like to repeat the challenge again in a few months or maybe the new year.