This was the third year that Mouat Outdoor Education students decided to brave the steep confines of Grouse Mountain and tackle the Grind. While in previous years students were given a choice of what trip option they wanted to attend, this was the first year where the zip lines were available. 35 brave adventurers comprised of Mouat, Hansen, and district International students challenged themselves mentally and physically as they hiked up the difficult Grouse Grind. Once at the top students ate a quick lunch and them proceeded to embark on their chosen adventures. Some students chose to complete the high ropes course and, while harnessed, traversed through the tree tops on the mountain while experiencing small zip lines and challenging obstacles. The remainder of the students braved the 5 mountain top ziplines soaring over trees and canyons while being treated to some truly spectacular views of the Lower Mainland. Based on the smiles of the participants as they soared through the air I think there will probably be some repeat customers for this adventure as I know I can’t wait to try it again! Outdoor Education students (and anyone else who wants to) leave a 100 word response below.
Mouat Extreme Outdoor Education 
Overall, this was a really fun trip. I had done the Grouse Grind twice before this trip, allowing for me to adequately pack for the trip. However, what I didn’t expect was how much more fun it’d be with my friends! Going up Grouse, I was extremely tired but had the determination to keep going, and was encouraged by Marek who hiked up with me. In the end, we both got sub 1 hour, and I got 56 minutes. Once there, I was able to try something I had always wanted to do: The High Ropes. Climbing through the obstacles without the guidance of an employee really made it feel like I was on my own, and was in control of my own fate (I did NOT want to fall). During the black course, I had to convince myself to keep going and not turn back after I had reached the half way point. It was really high up! Overall, I am happy that I pushed myself. It was a great trip, and thanks to all the supervisors who made the it possible!
Sounds like a great experience! Anything you might do different next time?
If I were to do it again, I’d probably bring an umbrella. I didn’t think about the rain, so being stuck indoors was a little surprising to me.
Hi Mr Rahe, here is my essay about the trip to Grouse Mountain:
Outdoor Education trip to Grouse Mountain in Vancouver
On September 28, 2022 a group of Mouat, Yale and Hansons students went to grouse mountain in Vancouver. Our group had about 30 students – good size to hike. The reason I went to the trip was to try ziplining and to be with other internationals and Canadians. The hike to the top of the mountain was hard. I´ have never been on such a hard trail. But it was ok. At the top of the mountain started the funny things. I went to the five different ziplines with a guide. The first zipline was a bit overcoming for me, but it was so fun. After we have taken the gondola, we must wait for the bus. Everything was so great, I don´t have any things I didn´´´t like about this trip.
Greetings,
Flora Vieweg
I agree that the ziplines were an epic adventure. I’m glad I got to experience them with you!
The Grouse Grind hike was an amazing experience for me. Already having done the high ropes course the previous year, I chose the zipline tour this time. This hike was the second hiking experience of my life, also the first one ever, last year. I must say that it is not easy. Majority of the hike was very inclined, and the difficulty only increased until we got to the top. To be honest, at the beginning of the hike, I had a headache for some reason. Later on, however, I became more focused to just keep moving. During the hike, I eventually learnt that it is better to move slowly than to move fast with more breaks in between. When I kept moving forward, my body eventually got used to the hike’s nature, but whenever I took a longer break, my body felt like the hike was over, which made it more difficult. Moving on, this was also my first time ziplining. It was completely worth it! The views from the 5 ziplines were especially memorable, actually one of the best view of the city I’ve seen in my life! All in all, the Grouse Grind hike and ziplining was an experience that I will never forget and love to experience again and again!
Sounds like a good learning experience and very rewarding trip!
The hike up to Grouse mountain was not easy but it was quick. It is something, everyone should try to do in their own pace. For me it was pretty difficult to walk all these steps up. My legs started hurting around the 10/40 mark and I was getting tired really fast. Furthermore I realized pretty fast that I didn’t take enough water with me. Next time I will make sure, I have two bottles of water.
I walked the rest of the way at a comfortable pace, which was a good decision. What I really liked was how nice the others were and how easy it was to talk. At some point, I found a group that I joined and we all went together for the most part.
When we got at the top I forgot how tired I actually was. The view on the top and later on the ziplines was amazing!
A hard hike like Grouse definitely will leave you with some lessons! Glad you enjoyed the experience!
This was my third time doing the Grouse grind, but what was different this time was I was able to go with friends! Going up the grind was hard, but I was prepared with lot’s of water. Marek and I took the lead, and we made good time! I got 56 minutes, so I beat my goal of sub one hour. Marek was really encouraging, and the relief I got when I reached the top was well worth it. Afterwards, we split off and went to the high ropes. I found the high ropes were the highlight of my trip, because of how much of a thriller it was! I did NOT want to fall, so it made the whole experience very exhilarating. During the black course, I almost would have turned back if it weren’t for Hiroki and Marek rooting me on! Afterwards, we took the Gondola down, then the bus home. Overall, I had tons of fun. If I were to go again, I’d try the Ziplines!
I found this trip to be very fun and challenging. While the hike and the high ropes course were both enjoyable, I feel like I could have easily improved on the hike. After hiking for a short burst, I took a short break. However, had I hiked at a slower pace, I would not have needed to stop so often, as the breaks lost me more time than a slow hiking pace. The high ropes course was probably the highlight of the trip, although it was made more fun by the work required to get there, and it was also a bit tough at certain points. However, unlike the hike, I think that one of the harder aspects of the high ropes was the fear itself. While it was mostly easy, certain parts seemed less stable, or more exposed, and this fed into my fear of falling (even though there was no danger). Overall, it was an excellent trip, and while I originally expected just a hike and the high rope, I also got to see bears and exhibits, making it even more fun and memorable.
This is a great job of introspection. I’m glad you took so many lessons from the experience!
On September 28, 2022 we (a group of students form Mouat, Hanson and Yale) went to the Grouse Grind Mountain in Vancouver.
To be honest, I really underestimated the ascent at first. I never thought it would be so exhausting. During the ascent, I had several moments where I thought it wouldn’t work at all. But precisely because it was so exhausting, the arrival was so much better. You have really learned that you can do much more than you actually think you can do.
At the top I did High Ropes and I really like it:).
You can’t really expose anything to the trip, it was just a wonderful trip in which I would participate again and again. The only thing that could perhaps be changed would be that we could have shut down earlier. In the end, I think that stretched out a little.
That is a great life lesson that everyone has more in the tank than even they think possible!
This was my first trip as an international student. I’ve never really hiked before so I was really excited for the experience and for the zip lining as well. The hike was really exhausting and really hard. It was really steep most of the time and because my endurance isn’t the best I had to take a break every 10 minutes. At the beginning I started hiking up the mountain with two of my friends but after around 1/4 we split up because they were a lot faster than me. I joined two other girls that I’ve never met before and I got to know them really well. We got along pretty well and the rest of the hike was pretty fun. After about two hours we finally got to the top and I was really proud of us for making it! The first zip lining group left at around 1:00pm and we were at the meeting point at 1:10pm we missed the first group. This was actually a really good thing because we had time to check out the souvenir shop and we bought stickers. We also had time to eat out lunch and then it was time to go zip lining. We put on our rain jackets which was a really good idea because it didn’t get as cold on the zip lines. We put on our harnesses and helmets and were ready to go. The first zip line was really short and not that fast but it was a good zip line to memorize the starting and landing positions. The starting position just was sitting in the harness but the landing position was quite different and not what I expected it to be. We had to put up our knees really high, chin to the chest and put our hands on the bar and straighten our arms. On the second zip line, which was a lot faster and longer, there was a picture taken which I really wanted to look at but ended up forgetting about. The third zip line was about the same length as the second one. After the third one we had to go up the mountain again. Gladly we were able to take the ski lift and we didn’t have to hike up the mountain with all of our gear. The last two zip lines were really long and fast. The 4th one was about 300 meters long. On the zip line I was able to see all of Vancouver and a couple of different islands. Since the sun was more aft starting to set the view was amazing. The last zip line had the same view but was about 500 meters long. It was pretty crazy to me that those 500 meters went by so quickly because you were focused on looking at the amazing view. All in all the zip lining was an amazing experience which I’d love to do again someday.
After we took off our gear and got our backpacks we met up with the other groups. We had some time to spend so I got myself some food and then it was time to take the gondola down the mountain. On the gondola you were able to have one last look at the amazing view over Vancouver. On the bottom of the mountain we had some time to spend again while waiting for the bus so most of us got a coffee at Starbucks to wake up again. The coffee was really good but didn’t really do its job because I slept on the bus ride back to the school.
The trip to grouse mountain was amazing and I’ll definitely never forget about it!
Sounds like a good experience. Anything that you might change for next time?
First of all: everyone underestimated by far when they said that this hike wouldn’t be a very easy one, but it wouldn’t be a problem for us “young folks”. The Grouse Hike was my first real hike and I can confidently say that I was dying half of the time. Grouse Mountain is very steep; it was like climbing stairs the whole time. But it was very much worth it. The forest was absolutely beautiful and the views that you could catch between the tree tops were, in my opinion, so cool. I arrived at the top after an hour and 40 minutes; and let’s be real, if an unathletic and scrappy kid like me can do the hike – you can too. No excuses. The High Ropes were sadly a little bit disappointing. It’s still a great course, don’t get me wrong. But I highly suggest fighting tooth and nail to get a spot on the zip lines. All in all, it was a great experience and I would definitely do the hike again.
I’m glad you were able to push through your barriers and I do agree that the ziplines are worth the fight!
To many stairs
LOL What would you different next time?
This was my first time ever hiking grouse mountain and going through the high ropes course. It was a challenging but very fun time, talking with friends while hiking, challenging each other on the high ropes to go through all the tough obstacles while high up in the trees, and looking around at everything that was at the top of the mountain. There was much more to do at the top than I had expected, there were two bears you could watch as they walked around and we got there just in time to watch them get fed. Unfortunately, the beavertail stand was closed, but I’, sure they would have been very good. Next time I go on the hike I am hoping to do the ziplines because even though they are more expensive, it seems like a very fun time.
You did amazing on the climb for that being your first time ever on the Grind!
On September 28, 2022 a group of Mouat, Yale and Hansons students went to grouse mountain in Vancouver. Our group had about 30 students – good size to hike. The reason I went to the trip was to try ziplining and to be with other internationals and Canadians. The hike to the top of the mountain was hard. I´ve never been on such a hard trail. But it was ok. At the top of the mountain started the funny things. I went to the five different ziplines with a guide. The first zipline was a bit overcoming for me, but it was so fun. After we have taken the gondola, we must wait for the bus. Everything was so great, I don´t have any things I didn´t like about this trip.
I’m glad you pushed your limits and made it to the top of the mountain!
The Grouse Grind trip was an excellent trip, and I had tons of fun going on the high ropes! I’ve done the Grouse Grind twice before, but that was with my family. Now that I’ve gone with my friends, I can say it’s even more fun! Especially on the high ropes. During the high ropes, me, Marek, and Hiroki went onto the black course (The Hardest One!). It was very difficult, and about halfway through, I was about to turn back and abandon the rest of the course. However, Marek encouraged me to keep going, and I reconsidered my thoughts. In the end, I finished the whole course, and I’m glad I did so. Overall, it was an awesome experience and I would definintly go again! (Maybe try the ziplines?)
I would strongly suggest giving the ziplines a go as they are amazing!