Our aim was to hike down Mosquito Creek from its source to its mouth. We met at the foot of Grouse Skyride and took the first gondola up at just before 9 o'clock. At the top, we set off on the trail to Dam and Goat Mountain, taking a short detour to see how the grizzlies were faring in their preparation for winter. They were not yet very fat but were working their way up.

We followed the road around the west side of Grouse and passed the MetroParks registration board. We carried on and didn't sign in because we were not coming back. Our next landmark was the intersection where one trail turns left to go to Dam Mountain - this was well marked. Continuing on, the trail rose steadily and I worried that every little path off to the right was Thunderbird Ridge Trail. However, I need not have worried; the trail when it came was clearly signposted.

The trail dropped steadily until we reached a marked post, indicating a trail off to the right. We couldn't see a trail, but hunting around we found a worn track on the other side of some grass. This was the route we wanted - Erik the Red Trail. Straight on would have taken us further along the ridge, ending up at a panoramic viewpoint.

Erik the Red Trail was wild and took us down steeper and lower than I had expected. What I had not realized was that we were in Lynn Creek watershed and that we were dropping down to Barrier Creek, which feeds Kennedy Lake.

Once we crossed the field of large boulders through which the creek flows, we started climbing back up again to Pipeline Pass. In fact, we were walking on the old pipeline on our climb up. The pipeline from Kennedy Lake used to supply water to North Vancouver.

Pipeline Pass is on the boundary of the Lynn and Mosquito watersheds and we were to be travelling down Mosquito Creek from here on.

All the way down, we saw small mushrooms, large mushrooms and various fungiu. A short distance on Pipeline Trail (on top of an old pipeline) soon brought us down to Grouse Mountain Highway. To the right, the road led up to Grouse Mountain Gondola; to the left it went down to Mountain Highway Road in North Vancouver. And straight ahead and angling down to the left, the road led to the foot of the new cut and a Grouse Mountain ski-run.

We met some cyclists here and asked if they knew where the trail led down to Mosquito Falls. They didn't know of it and could only direct us to Per Gynt about half an hour south. We knew we had to be on the east side of the creek, so we followed the highway south for about five minutes, when we saw a red ribbon on a bush.
Sure enough this was the trail down. It was clear and well marked but was rough with windfalls and boggy and rocky areas. However, in due course, it led us right to the foot of the falls. This is the spot where the Lower Grouse Mountain Highway used to cross Mosquito on a bridge that is no longer there. We had been at that spot in snow in April and had angled down the snowbank and waded the creek. So we knew it well. This was where we had a brief cold lunch.

The Lower Grouse Mountain Highway is a deteriorated road cut by half a dozen creeks. When we did it in the snow, each creek was covered by a perilously thin ice bridge. But this time we had only to go down into a small flow of water and up the other side. This journey took us down to meet Grouse Mountain Highway at a sharp curve. Per Gynt Trail goes up on the left to rejoin the main highway further up.
Continuing for a very short distance, we took Executioner Trail where it led off on the right. If you take it steeply down, it continues and reaches Prospect Road close to the Baden Powell's Mosquito Bridge.

But the trail also angles and if you don't watch out, you get carried onto Dreamweaver, which takes you to St. Georges Trail and down St. Mary's Avenue. You can catch a bus on Braemar Street but it waits en route and is less convenient. We found one place where we correctly took the steeper descent at an intersection but missed another. We caught ourselves in time, backed up Dreamweaver and continued down to Mosquito Bridge.

By now it was close to 4:30 (I'm not a fast hiker, to put it mildly). So we decided not to go all the way to the creek's mouth but to continue to Montroyal Boulevard, where we waited for a bus to take us back to our cars at the Skyride. A boy was waiting to get to the front door of his house opposite because a black bear was rummaging through his garbage bin. Finding a tied bag in the bin, the bear finally made off happily and the boy was able to get into his home.

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