Grouse Grind on my 57th birthday Since starting my wellness journey it has been my goal to challenge the Grouse Grind. To think that in January of 2019 I couldn't walk up three flights of stairs and I was thinking about climbing over 2,800 of them - would be nuts, right? Well the challenge was on when in June of this year I decided I would challenge the grind on my birthday. To get there I had to really prep. Meaning hiking more complex trails every week. And many trails I hiked. Along with others that came on the journey with me we completed 13 before attempting this one. Last week Gianni and I completed St. Marks Summit in Cypress Mountain and I thought I had a good base to be ready for the hike. At the beginning of this hike I took the first picture as a symbol would I complete the hike for a thumbs up or not complete it for a thumbs down. But during the hike the thumbs up and down meant a lot more. My eight year old grandson Brody and my daughter Angela wanted to support me by doing the hike with me. I quickly told them to not wait for me because it would be slow and steady for me. As they headed up the mountain I could hear them say good job nonna or mom; until I couldn't see them any more. They left me in their dust which I'm extremely proud of them for finishing in one hour and five minutes. I on the other hand got through the first quarter with no issues. Slow and steady....but just after the 1/2 way mark the second picture below, I started feeling light headed and dizzy. My breathing was very shallow and I was struggling to stand. I sat on the ground and closed my eyes while I waited for the world to stop spinning. I listened to my heart and my breathing and calmed myself down. When I opened my eyes I remembered what happened on the Coquitlam Crunch the day I had the flu. The elevation and the smaller air capacity kicked in my Asthma. Well this had happened again. I was struggling to breath and now came the decision of going back down the mountain or continue up. I took a good swig of water and ate a granola bar and made the decision it was a thumbs up kind of day. I then slowed down my pace and listened to my breath the whole way up the mountain. The next two markers were taking what seemed forever to show up but in the end I conquered them in 1 hour and 28 minutes. Which was under my 1.5 hour goal. Along the way I chatted with several other hikers. One was an older lady than me who said she does the hike every day. I was so impressed by it and asked do you enjoy doing it every day? She said it is the one thing that gets her up every morning knowing she can. For me this was a grueling hike and one that I will probably never do again. Going straight up a mountain isn't fun it actually is my thumbs down. What was great is having my family at the top of the mountain waiting for me and congratulating me for completing it. And more importantly having Brody and I celebrate our birthdays on top of the world having crushed the grind. The uphill battle battles will never end as long as we are alive. It is how we chose to climb those mountains that define who we are and if we will have a thumbs up or thumbs down kind of day. Enjoy the battle and share your experience with anyone that wants to listen.
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