I think everyone has a bucket list: a small (or large) mental collection of “Hey, wouldn’t it be amazing if….” or “I’ve always wanted to…”‘s in all of us. Some are formal and organized. Mine is more a quiet collection of experiences inside of my head.

I am blessed with many, many amazing experiences. I have hiked the West Coast Trail. I have backpacked across Western Europe. I have crewed on a Schooner off of the coast of Africa. I have worked in film and television, and witnessed the beaches of Northern France transformed with landing craft and hedgehogs into the Allied landing beaches of the Second World War. I have swum with sharks off the shores of the Galapagos.

I’ve driven a tank, cheered in Hawk Alley, and wrangled bees for a perfect camera shot. I have given birth to two incredible human beings. I have also never completed the Grouse Grind. This is on my mental list; my “I want to be able to say that I have done this.” sense of completion.

I tried to wrangle the kids, and there was no talking to them. Not on a sleepy Sunday with the first full day of regular season NFL starting. So I went solo. (***NOTE: DO NOT attempt solo hiking unless properly prepared and always tell someone your plan!)

I knew I would be okay by myself on this trail, as it was so well-traveled. I headed up Nancy Greene Way, and parked, unsure of where it began.

The Grouse Grind was marked by a chain-link fence and a notice to hikers warning them of the task ahead. There was also a whiteboard advising of a bear sighting and a bees’ nest at marker 21/40. I nervously looked around, snapped a selfie and began.

A couple of observations about the Grouse Grind: there are the obvious Pros, with their annual pass lanyards, the weekend warriors, and the newbies. Regardless of your category, everyone, everyone was positive, upbeat, and very, very supportive. I had strangers reassuring me that I was doing great, and I in turn passed on the positivity.

And everyone did it at their own pace. I heard Trudeau returned to the Grind and posted a not-too-shabby time of 52:50. I knew that the really in-shape people did it @ 46-59 minutes. The website warned that newbies should expect 1-2 hours for their time. I was going to time myself, but I was not going to push. I was going to enjoy the ride, as I had no idea what to expect. (Other than the North Shore Grouse Grind warning of a 2800′ stairmaster)

I took lots of breaks, drank a lot of water, and took a lot of moments to stop and look around.   There were easy bits, and hard bits, and bits I didn’t like.  But the forest was beautiful, under a heavy cloud cover and continuous but light drizzle. Little squirrels (chipmunks?) continually zig-zagged across my path with green pinecones, obviously well-used to the human action. The silence was intoxicating, broken only by the occasional group of hikers who were chatting as they ascended. (how they managed to casually chat and ascend escapes me)

The final quarter went quickly, and when I finally saw the break in the trees, I couldn’t believe I had done it. A very leisurely pace at 1:55, but I had done it nonetheless.

And as I sit writing this with my shoulders and knees still sore, I am proud to gently stow this one away in my mental bucket list. I did it.