Long Weekend Report and Some Overdue Photos

So, as I previously mentioned, the weather forecasters are dirty, dirty liars and it was a gorgeous, hot and sunny long weekend! Highlights include (a) a party on Saturday night to which I brought Canada Day cupcakes that I made from scratch and (b) doing the Grouse Grind again, for the second time in less than two weeks. I have now doubled my lifetime of Grouse Grinding compared to how many times I had done it as of June 21.

Also of note: my time to complete the Grind's 2,800 foot ascension on June 22 was 1 hr 43 mins. Time yesterday: 1 hr 18 mins! Granted the June 22 hike was done with a "let's take it easy" pace in mind as we had a first timer with us, whereas for yesterday's hike I went with a season's pass holder and nearly fainted trying to keep up with him until I finally told him to go on without me and I'll meet ya at the top. But still - an improvement of almost half an hour is nothing to sneeze at!

And speaking of sneezing, I was pretty sure as I sat in Altitudes Bistro that the hike had cured my cold, as my sinuses were clear and I could breathe through my nose for the first time in 8 days... but alas, it's now the next morning and I'm back to being all stuffed up. Perhaps I need to be on the top of a mountain to cure my cold - maybe cold viruses don't like the height.

Also, I was remiss in that I took no photos of either the Canada Day cupcakes or this trip up the Grind. A girl at the party did take a pic for me, but not of the cupcakes.... a pic of me drinking a Granville Island Maple Cream ale - a pic with which to make Sarah very, very jealous! Now I just have to wait and see if she accepts my Facebook friend invite so I can get the photo from her. As for the Grind, we were traveling light - I brought only a water bottle¹ - which may also help to explain how I shaved half an hour off my time (since last time I had a backpack full of stuff). In lieu of, however, I give you a photo of me, Christel and Tenny at the top of Grouse Mountain from the trip on June 22, since I'm a delinquent and haven't posted that yet:

Also amusing: Vancouverites are tree huggers!




¹I realized about 1/2 way up that I had no ID whatesoever on me (my wallet having been locked up in the trunk of the car for safe keeping) and if I fainted or tripped and fell down the mountain, there would be no way to tell who I was. And, since I told my much-faster-than-me hiking companion to go on ahead without me (I really hate feeling like I'm holding people back), if he got tired of waiting for me and took off (not that I thought he would, or anything), I wouldn't even have any money to take the cable car back down, let alone get home! Note to self: wear something with pockets next time!