GROUSE GRIND, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada May 19, 2002 If you drive across the Lion Gate Bridge from Stanley Park to North Vancouver, you will see Grouse Mountain straight ahead. Taking the Capilano Road all the way to its end will get you to the trailhead. Pay parking lot with asphalt is to the left, and the complimentary lot without asphalt is to the right. The Grouse Grind Trail, or The Grind, is probably the most hiked trail in the Vancouver area. People who hike it seem to do it for sport rather than for taking in the scenery. The trail is only 1.6 km, but don't let that fool you. It's a very steep, rocky stairway all the way to the top with little switchbacks. The reward for hiking all the way up is a ride down on the cable car for $5. The round-trip fare $25. From the top, the views of Capilano Lake and English Bay are magnificant. I, along with half the people in the cable car, was drenched in sweat and stinky, so we rode down with windows open on all four sides despite the cool weather. After I got down, I stopped at the Stanley Park to see the mountain peak that I had just climbed. It always feels good to see it again from a distance. The big mounds of yellow minerals in the port that you see in the photo are sulphur. Yes, sulphur. I just thought that was an odd sight to witness in this beautiful harbor. The park was quiet on this rainy evening, except for a resident racoon who was busy at finding food scraps.