Grouse Grind the 2026 Edition

The start of the Grouse Grind

The Grouse Grind is considered a very Vancouver thing to do, and with relatives visiting, we did the trek this morning in overcast conditions which was perfect temperature-wise.

As we drove up Capilano Road, we saw people running with race bibs up towards Grouse Mountain and supporters ringing cow bells. The racers went to the BCMC Trail, while the rest of us went on the Grouse Grind. I can't imagine running uphill and then racing up the mountain too!

It really is "Mother Nature's Stairmaster"

We started just after 9:40am and there were already several people lingering at the start waiting for others, or commencing the hike. 

It's a 2.5km hike up the face of Grouse Mountain, and the Grind is nicknamed "Mother Nature's Stairmaster". And you'll realise it soon enough.

The path is practically a natural staircase that winds around, over giant tree roots, rocks and some wooden staircases, thanks to Don McPherson and Phil Severy, who built the path in the early 1980s.

It's now maintained by outside workers of Metro Vancouver, though they are currently on strike, demanding improved health and safety protection, and retention of workers.

The first section of the grind is tough -- it's a shock to your system having to climb up so many stairs in a relatively narrow path and keeping steady breathing is the key, as well as hydrating and taking breaks.

Lots of heavy breathing from everyone hiking

The hike is divided into 40 sections, and periodically there will be posts marking how far you've gone.

For example at around the 10/40 sign indicates you've completed one-quarter of the hike. And there's a sign celebrating your achievement, but with a warning.

"Congratulations! You've made it to the 1/4 mark," it reads.

"That was the easy section. Now comes the hard part. The trail gets steeper and narrower from here.

"So, do an honest check in: feeling tired already? Used up all your water? Light-headed or dizzy?

"This is the best place to turn around. Beyond this point, downhill travel is not allowed."

Beautiful views along the way

Before we reached this point, we saw several people making their way down. They were obviously frightened by the sign and gave up. It's a decent enough warning as it's good to have a lot of water and snacks to stay hydrated and have enough energy to make it up to the top.

I just tried to keep going, even if it was slow, and take breaks to catch my breath and drink some water. Many people passed me along the way, some were seasoned hikers, going up with a small bottle of water, or even none at all! One man who passed us was already on his second trip up the Grind!

There are "Grinders" who do this hike once a week or more, and like to boast their times. The record is 25 minutes! Most people finish in about an hour and a half to two hours.

Last stretch is a scramble up rocks

At around the one hour mark, I overheard one young man tell his friend that he forgot to pay for parking! I tried to help him by opening my parking app to get the code number of the parking lot, but I hardly had an internet connection.

Eventually I passed the 1/2 way mark, and then it was such a relief to see the 3/4 mark to know the end was near. We could hear the hum of the electricity of the gondolas nearby going up and down, and in the distance the clearing in the trees. 

But it would be a ways before finishing, as the path veered to the right, and then finally swung back to the left. I had to use the hand railings made from tree branches, or wooden posts to help me up.

The last part was literally a scramble up some rocks before finally making it to the top of the mountain. What an ordeal but also what a workout! Completed at around 1:39.

We had a quick snack, drinks and washroom break before getting a lift ticket to go down. And it's quite the sight looking down and realising how far you've hiked up.

Gondolas taking passengers down the mountain

It took us around 38 minutes to drive to Grouse, but double that to get home thanks to single-lane traffic on the Lions Gate Bridge and traffic jams downtown.

When we got home, we took a shower and then had to lie horizontal for a while...

Picture of the Day: Braised Fish Maw

Large pieces of braised fish maw surrounded by goose webs

The other night we went to Sun Sui Wah for a 私房菜 or "see fong choi", the Chinese version of omakase where the chef creates the menu.

However, not all the dishes were winners; some were duds, like a roast duck we had that was marinated in salt for a week and tasted like it! There was also a giant plate of thinly sliced poached geoduck, but sadly wasabi was smothered over them and our nasal cavities had the equivalent of pungent electric shocks each time we bit into the geoduck...

Nevertheless, the undisputed highlight of the evening was a massive platter of braised fish maw with goose webs in abalone sauce. These pieces of fish maw were the thickest I had ever seen in my life and the women at the table were salivating with excitement.

That's because it is believed that fish maw contain a lot of collagen, a protein that helps the skin maintain its elasticity and reduce wrinkles. And who doesn't want that?

While this is a belief rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, there isn't much scientific evidence to prove this sadly. 

According to Marina Medical in Hong Kong, eating fish maw isn't necessarily the most efficient way of absorbing collagen in the body and instead suggests other ways to boost collagen production:

- Collagen supplements

- Vitamin C

- Protein-rich foods like eggs, bone broth, meat and beans

- Zinc and copper from meat, shellfish, nuts, whole grains and beans

- Regular exercise, adequate sleep and avoid excessive sun exposure

I'll still eat fish maw whenever possible! Tastes delicious!

Hong Kong Island Promenade is Complete

Visitors can wear shoe covers on the glass walkway

During the Covid-19 pandemic, after dinner during the week I walked along the Hong Kong waterfront from Kennedy Town to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and back, a good 10K.

I enjoyed being among people, in the fresh air and getting exercise.

The last 1.1K section was unveiled to the public

Then on the weekends my friend and I would walk further to Sai Wan Ho, but when we got to Tin Hau and Fortress Hill, there were breaks in the path and we had to walk inland a few blocks before getting back on the harbourfront path.

But yesterday the last section, about 1.1K long was finally completed, from the North Point Promenade to Hoi Yu Street in Quarry Bay. Now people can literally go from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan in 13K.

Part of the North Point section features a glass walkway, where visitors need to wear shoe covers... seems a bit over the top for a path that's mainly for looking at the scenery above than below the water.

Nevertheless this project of designing and constructing a 13k promenade is 16 years in the making and it's great to see it's finally finished.

The path is a great way to see the city

It's a fantastic way not only for locals to enjoy their city, but also for visitors to see how accessible Hong Kong is and to appreciate the views from the waterfront. 

When I recently visited Hong Kong I was staying in North Point and walked along the waterfront towards Causeway Bay a few times. 

Can't wait to go back and walk the whole 13K!

Review: Atomic Habits Can Lead to Real Change

This book has clear, incremental ways to change your habits

If you've got some goals and wondering how to achieve them, James Clear has the answer for you -- Atomic Habits, incremental changes to your daily habits that must might help you succeed.

Clear grabs your attention right away by describing a horrific freak accident in high school that almost left him for dead. He had had dreams of becoming a baseball player, but this accident was a massive setback not only physically but academically too.

However, with good habits, from cleaning his room everyday to studying not only got him back on track to be named a top athlete in college, but also win academic honours too.

Clear gives examples of changing his life

He's living proof that small habits can lead to big changes, hence he calls them "atomic habits".

Clear tells another great story about the British cycling team and how they were not very good. But a new coach tried to make incremental improvements of 1 percent here and there, from the bikes to the uniforms to how they were training and strategy that led to British cyclists winning the Tour de France.

Basically Clear explains we have good habits and bad habits, so try to change your bad habits into good ones.

That means trying to make good habits easier to do, and bad ones harder. He gives the example of watching television. If you want to watch less, you can only turn it on if you can name the show you want to watch. Or unplug it so you have to plug it in. Or lock it in a cabinet, or place out of sight so you have to move it to be able to watch it. 

Another interesting point he makes is we make goals such as wanting to lose weight. How do you do that? Clear says we should try to be the person we want to be. If we want to lose weight we should start to think about how a healthy person thinks. Does a healthy person eat chocolate? Maybe you should put in extra steps instead, or eat an apple.

To build more good habits, stack them with ones you already have. For example, once you wake up in the morning, make your bed and then take a shower. Other possible good habits to add on are, if you see a set of stairs, climb them instead of taking the elevator, or if you want to buy something over $100, wait 24 hours before buying it.

In order to increase the chances of changing or improving your habits is to change your environment so that you will have a higher chance of doing them. He says if you want to draw more, put pencils, pens and paper on your desk, or to exercise more, have your workout clothes set out to change into, and to eat healthier, chop up vegetables and fruits and put them in containers so you won't turn to junk food.

Starting something may seem daunting to people, and Clear suggests the two-minute rule or at least opening a book and reading a page or working out for five minutes; in this way you have shown up which is a big part of starting good habits.

He also writes about a young man who became very successful in sales very quickly. How did he do that? He had two jars on his desk, one filled with 120 paper clips. Each time he finished a sales call, he would put one paper clip in the empty jar and so on until all 120 paper clips were in the second jar. It was a physical reminder of how much he had accomplished in one day. That's why things like journals can help people keep track of what they have eaten or done.

Atomic Habits is very easy to read with clear relatable examples that make you think there are some small ways you can improve yourself in all aspects of your life.

I borrowed the book from the library, but had to wait a while as there were over 90 people ahead of me wanting to read Atomic Habits too!

An Enjoyable Walking Route at North Point

Under the highway overpass is a place for people to exercise

In the last few years I lived in Hong Kong, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, my friend and I did a lot of walking along the harbour. It was a way of decompressing and also feeling like we accomplished something, counting the number of kilometres with some sweat. I also wore down a few pairs of runners.

Towards the end we could walk from Kennedy Town to Sai Wan Ho on a path hugging the shoreline, though there were some sections where we had no choice but to walk inland before the path continued again along the harbour front.

A colourful path directing cyclists and pedestrians

Recently another section opened up -- right by my hotel in North Point. Called the East Coast Park Precinct, the path going west is under the highway overpass which is interesting. It's jazzed up with bright colours, some exercise machines, motorbike hills for kids and a really tame climbing hill.

There are two paths that periodically converge or separate; one of which juts out periodically so people can take pictures of the harbour or stand or walk and enjoy the view.

This morning I checked out the path and saw a number of seniors taking advantage of the path, some young professionals using the route to walk to work in the car-free zone, some squeezing in a run before work, or walking their dogs.

I walked to Fortress Hill, the next district west of North Point and did a loop around the giant vent shaft which is part of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass, before turning back.

In the end I walked about 4km and broke in a bit of a sweat even though it was a chilly 15 degrees.

A mini hill to climb on the left for kids

What a great way to start off the day, seeing this development continue to piece together the shoreline so that people will eventually be able to walk all the way around Hong Kong Island -- if they so wish!

Picture of the Day: Perilous Walks on Ice

The walking path inside the forest is slippery!

Vancouver has been very chilly, with sub-zero temperatures overnight and into the early morning. Since the heavy snow over a week ago, side roads are still covered in packed snow and ice, and only today has the white stuff finally partially melted on street in front of our house to reveal patches of asphalt.

While most of the sidewalks are cleared, it's walking in Pacific Spirit Park that's become treacherous. After it had snowed, the paths were fine to walk on with some grip on your boot soles, but after the snow melting and then freezing several days in a row, the routes are very slippery -- and that's when it's flat.

That was my experience yesterday when I attempted to walk into the park and made a quick exit to get back onto stable cement. 

The other day a neighbour near the entrance of the park saw an ambulance and fire truck parked there. The paramedics and firemen had come to extricate a young woman who had fallen less than 1km into the park on a slope. It is unclear if she was trying to go up the hill or down.

Nevertheless, these rescuers had to make sure they themselves didn't fall, get the woman onto the stretcher and then carry her back (without slipping) to the ambulance.

Today the yellow metal bar at the entrance of the park is open, but today it was closed, though that didn't stop others from entering at their own risk.

Rain is expected on Saturday and temperatures finally rising above 2 degrees to 5 degrees! Maybe it will finally wash away all the snow and ice for good. It was nice when it first came down, but we're all over it already!

Pure Fitness Behind on Rent Payments

Pure Fitness is behind on rent in the location I worked out at

When I lived in Hong Kong I used to be a member of a gym at the ICBC Building in Central. It was not the most convenient location, but I was motivated to go because it was the only gym in the city that had a pool. It was a small, 20m pool, but better than public ones that were extremely crowded with people having varying swimming abilities.

At least here the water was pretty clean, and fewer people in general. I also met some nice people there.

The small but nice pool in Central

The gym changed hands while I was there, and became Pure Fitness, raising the membership prices for us existing members. 

But the start of the Covid-19 pandemic led to numerous infections in the gym because not enough precautions were taken and eventually gyms were closed for months on end. In that period I began walking along the harbourfront about 10K every night and even further on the weekends, though I did miss swimming a lot.

When the gym finally reopened, I only went to swim a few more times because I was leaving Hong Kong.

A friend told me today that Pure Fitness was slapped with a lawsuit from the landlord of the ICBC building location for allegedly not paying the full rent amount for a few months, about HK$13.6 million.

It also doesn't help that lots of foreign companies have left Hong Kong, along with them their employees, many of who were expats who joined Pure Fitness. The pandemic also resulted in people finding alternative ways to get fit without having to pay expensive membership fees...

Picture of the Day: Sunshine in the Forest

The sun's rays were playful among the trees

Yesterday I woke up to pouring rain and thought that pretty much dashed the hope of being able to walk outside. The weather report claimed the rain would taper off by early afternoon but it didn't look like it.

However, by 1pm the rain cleared and the sun even made an appearance.

After lunch, I walked towards Pacific Spirit Park and soon saw there was a light fog in the area, casting fantastic rays in the forest.

I couldn't help but take numerous pictures along the way, observing the sun's rays among the trees.

It was a pleasant walk save for the muddy paths in certain points. A fellow walker remarked how nice an afternoon it was but forgot to wear his rubber boots.

Yup, me too...

Blustery Day on the Seawall

Dramatic windy scenes along the west side of the Seawall

Today was a long day that started with breakfast with an ex-colleague who is in Vancouver for Christmas. We loaded up on brunch at White Spot and then headed downtown to walk around the Seawall at Stanley Park. 

Construction of the Seawall began back in 1917, overseen by master stone mason James Cunningham. But it wasn't until 1980 when the entire loop of the Seawall was declared completed.  

Lions Gate Bridge with busy traffic

Thankfully it wasn't raining in the early afternoon, and by the time we got to the start of the Seawall, the sun came out, along with gorgeous blue skies and fluffy white clouds. The 13km walk started off well, though once we got to the north side of the park it was chilly because the sun wasn't shining in this area. 

By the time we reached underneath Lions Gate Bridge, the temperature became chilly, and powered on to keep warm. Towards the mouth of Burrard Inlet, the wind picked up and I was bent forward as the wind blasted us head on. Even the water crashed onto the walkway, spewing onto the asphalt. We thought we had avoided it and then splash! We were sprayed with seawater. Luckily it wasn't a lot, but it was such a surprise!

From walking around the Seawall we didn't see too much of the trees taken down. About 25 percent of 160,000 of the trees need to be chopped down because they were infested by the hemlock looper moths, a native species. The problem was further exacerbated by drought this summer. Removing the dead and dying trees will cost taxpayers C$4.4 million, but it needs to be done, and other, more resistant trees need to be planted.

Looking out to the Pacific Ocean and the sun

After over two hours, we reached the end of the Seawall at David Street and made the hike up to Burrard to get back to the hotel again.

Needless to say we were exhausted by the time we got back and I promptly closed my eyes for a light nap on a chair! We had walked 16km in total, over 22,000 steps and 1,000 calories spent.

Jelly Legs from Pilates

Pilates reformer machines help isolate muscles to work on

This morning I went to my first pilates class using a reformer machine. 

These machines were created by Joseph Pilates in an internment camp in World War I. He created it by attaching springs to the bed to help bed-bound patients to do resistance exercises without having to stand up.

The instructor for my class was a young Asian guy, who it later turns out is a dancer. He turned on the music to easy-going jazz, which made me realise the class was not going to be like aerobics classes where we had to move to the beat.

Instead the music put us in a relaxed mood and we were not expected to do a certain number of reps or sets; he just let us repeat the movements, and the key was to do it properly.

When lying in the reformer, your shoulders and neck are kind of boxed in (comfortably), while your arms and legs do the work (separately or together). That way it forces you to isolate your muscles and work on them in a controlled way.

The reformer is also attached to springs to move forward and backward, and these can be adjusted to be harder or easier to move. At first we worked on our leg muscles and at times my legs were shaking from using different muscles or in such a repetitive way. It's all good!

Eventually we graduated to arms moving in circles and it felt good and tiring! When we finally moved to stretching, one of the women shouted hurray! Again I was stretching in different ways which was really interesting.

When we did new exercises, I had to look over to my classmates who had taken these classes before, or the instructor would come by and give me directions on what to do. He seemed impressed I was quite flexible!

Needless to say I had worked up a sweat and my legs were like jelly afterwards!