NORTH VANCOUVER—Give Justin Trudeau a choice between a mountain trail or the campaign trail, and on this hot day, he’ll take the election.

The Liberal leader on Friday tackled the Grouse Grind — dubbed “Mother Nature’s StairMaster” — a 2.9-kilometre trail that ascends 853 metres up the mountain that overlooks Vancouver.

“I feel great,” Trudeau said as he emerged from the forest after the hike, his T-shirt stained with sweat.

“Nice walk, beautiful scenery, good crowd of people and candidates around me. A lot of fun,” he said.

But for his all enthusiasm, he admitted that he wouldn’t be keen to tackle the demanding hike too often. Asked what was harder, the hike or the campaign trail, he suggested the Grind (which has 2,830 steps along the way and is described as “very challenging”) lives up to its name.

“I wouldn’t want to do this every day and I love campaigning every day,” he said.

Before he set off on the hike, Trudeau said he was hoping to complete the trail in a “respectable” time.

“But as long as I can do it faster than Mr. Mulcair or Mr. Harper could theoretically do it, I’ll be fine,” he said.

“If they can do the Grind in less than an hour, I’ll be very impressed,” he said.

Trudeau did the trail in 54 minutes and 55 seconds. The record for men is 25 minutes; the women’s record is 30 minutes. The website says most hikers take 90 minutes to complete the trail; novices typically take two hours.

Asked for his reflections on the climb, Trudeau replied: “You take it as a metaphor.”

“One step at a time, you work hard and surround yourself with good people and you do what needs to be done,”

Though Trudeau once lived in Vancouver, this is his first time tackling the hike.

And his tips for anyone who wants to do it?

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“Take it one step at a time and trust that you’re going to reach the finish line,” he said, voicing what could also be good campaign advice.

Most Grouse Mountain visitors opt for the tramway that takes them near the peak.