Grouse Grind: not for the faint-hearted or underdressed

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NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Search and rescue services are warning eager hikers not to be complacent, as the challenging Grouse Grind finally opens for the season.

The popular 2.9 kilometre uphill hike has been closed for longer than usual because of snow and ice this year, but is set to re-open on Saturday morning.

The re-opening comes with a warning from North Shore Rescue: be prepared.

“I’ve seen people go up there in business suits and dress shoes. It’s unreal,” says Mike Danks with NSR.

Danks says anyone tackling the Grind, dubbed “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster”, needs to make sure they’re dressed appropriately, and that they’re fit enough.

“We always recommend… that you bring the minimum equipment with you, because if you do slip and fall or get hurt, you’re going to be stationary for quite some time and you need some extra clothing to stay warm, you need water to stay hydrated, you need food for energy and you need an aid to navigation as well, and a light source,” he says.

“All really basic things that you can fit in a small pack.”

Danks says it’s typically the District Fire Department that responds to medical emergencies on the trail.

“We do get calls for people that are lost on that trail. What typically happens is people think, oh it’s just the Grind, I don’t need to bring anything with me, I don’t need a light source. But they start going up the trail, they’re a lot slower than they anticipate, and before you know it, it gets dark. And once it’s dark it’s really hard to navigate your way up that trail.”

He recommends people who are just getting into hiking should start out with other, easier North Shore hikes .

“I would not recommend you do the Grind right off the couch. It’s not a nice, easy trail for that. It’s very steep. There’s no flat sections on it to rest.”

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