News from The Team - 04.14.04 - Back toNews

APRIL 14. NORTH VANCOUVER - Hikers have been getting back to the Grind this
week after the popular trail to the top of Grouse Mountain reopened; but the flood of enthusiasm has drawn warnings from North Shore Rescue. Spokesperson Tim Jones said volunteers have come across people in difficulty most evenings since the trail reopened on April 9.

Volunteers walk the 2.8-kilometre route, known as Mother Nature's Stairmaster, each day and wrap up with a walk at dusk to check for stragglers. Jones said they have come across people on the trail most evenings and he warned everyone walking later in the day to carry flashlights or risk getting stuck in the woods.

Hikers should also remember to drink plenty of water both before and during the hike and he said people with cell phones should make sure their batteries are charged, in case they need to raise the alarm. Also high on Jones' advice list was remembering to stretch before heading out. Hikers, especially those headed downhill, can damage their muscles if they forget to do proper stretches.

The Grouse Grind was reopened after the GVRD closed it in mid-November for
the winter season.

Right now, the trail is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout the week. It
will stay open for longer once evenings stay light for longer.

NORTH VANCOUVER - People visiting the North Shore Mountains are being warned to stay away from a beautiful but deadly feature. Overhanging platforms of snow, known as cornices, are weak at this time of the year and people walking too near the edge could be in danger of the ground falling away beneath their feet, says Tim Jones of North Shore
Rescue.

Snow cornices form on the sheltered side of peaks and ridges and are deposited by the wind throughout the winter. When the weather warms, the cornices become unstable before eventually melting and falling away. "They are dangerous to hikers, especially when they get very heavy," said Jones. "You get huge overhangs, huge deposits, and people need to keep well back from the edge." Falling cornices are not only a danger to people walking on them but to people below, particularly climbers. Cornices that fall can also cause avalanches.

"This is not a problem isolated to one area, it's something to look out for on all the North Shore Mountains right now," he said. "People need to take care and keep well back from the edge."