Monday, May 6, 2013

Manitou Incline: One Mile Of Stairs

This weekend...we walked up almost 3,000 steps to the top of the Manitou Incline, which is one mile of stairs and a 2,000 foot altitude change. I'm too tired to get wordy with this post, so thank goodness for pictures. I think they speak for themselves, anyways.

 photo DSC00443_zps6695c8a5.jpg

 photo Incline_zps1e6fee7b.jpg

 photo IMG_8164_zps386b8995.jpg

Five of us made it up to the top, but really, you are a team with everyone on the trail. It's as if you are all together, going through the same grueling adventure, and supporting each other until the end. You even photo bomb each other's photos:

 photo DSC00436ed_zps2b108d4d.jpg

I've been rockin' it out on the stairmaster as of late, but the altitude is what KILLS ya. You already start out at 6,000 feet and then end up at over 8,000. It makes your body work a lot harder, you have less oxygen, and apparently poor circulation. I freaked out when my hands started tingling and I realized that my hands had swollen so bad that my rings were stuck. Here you can compare the during and after pics:

 photo 95D38EF6-F543-41E0-B5B6-1E99AF4618B2-2664-000001C748BC0117_zps6dd94476.jpg

So why did we put ourselves through this?
A) To say we did.
B) For the PIZZA at the bottom!

 photo HellsKitchen2_zps60bf0f36.jpg

Five miles later (one up and four down), this was heaven:

 photo Hellskitchen_zps9681b6d1.jpg

I also took an hour and a half nap after, and yet somehow I'm still tired...
I guess it was worth it. Maybe ;)




33 comments:

Whitney @ EHFAR said...

Looks like such a fun weekend!!!

Whitney @ EHFAR said...

P.S. I know the exact dates I will be in Denver :-)

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Now THAT is a hike my friend. WOW.

P!nky said...

That pizza looks amazing!

well done girlie, I'm proud of you!

Unknown said...

Amazing. Nothing seems to be more of a workout then stairs.Way to go. PS the pizza looks delish!!

http://abroadsworld.blogspot.com/

Helene said...

so cool!! pizza was definitely well deserved!

Pamela said...

I'd say that pizza was def worth the hike ;)

Erin @ Sugar Magnolia said...

Omg how fun!! I would have devoured that pizza!!

Kristine@thefoleyfam said...

Thats awesome!! Looks beautiful! Way to go love!

Kelly said...

What a workout!! Looks like a beautiful hike and I bet that pizza at the bottom was the best ever! :)

Megan Wadsworth said...

Haha y'all did EXACTLY what we did the first time we climbed it, ended up at Hells Kitchen Pizza!

Kudos to y'all for doing it in jeans, I need to go do it again soon, it's been a while!

Brittany said...

Awesome job!! And looks like you got a great reward after :)

Nicole said...

That is some dedication right there! Whenever I go walking or exercise, I always take my rings off because my fingers swell up like that too. it's crazy and I feel like my fingers end up looking like little sausages! hahaha...the pizza...totally worth it at the end!

Cece @Mahogany Drive said...

That Pizza totally makes it worth it. I love hiking and trails. You always feel such a great sense of accomplishment once you make it to the end.

SMD @ lifeaccordingtosteph said...

You killed it!

The pizza looks worth it, and the photos are worth it too.

Kait said...

Oh wow! Your hands swelling like that is crazy! But I'm so proud of you for doing that! I'd be breathless and likely complaining nonstop ;)

Jayme @ Her Late Night Cravings said...

That is awesome!! You guys rock!! And the pizza at the end...well that is total motivation right there!! :-)

Jayme & Mendi @ Her Late Night Cravings

Heather K. said...

What the! Those stairs look unstable. Maybe it was the angle, but either way, GOOD FOR Y'ALL. That's awesome.

And pizza is always worth the climb and the fall...

Jamie Hart said...

Whoooooooa buddy! And I complain about the Bluffs (Pensacola, FL).. I think I would probably die or someone would push me down the stairs due to my complaining. But really, GO YOU!
I had no idea that altitude caused swelling.. I feel accomplished today already, I learned something new!

ugottahavehart.blogspot.com

Kristine -Heart Shaped Sweat said...

ummm, my hands swell on flat land! I'm really in for it! That's quite a hike, you go girl!! A mile of stairs should cover a whole week of exercise, hehe!

Jen said...

How fun!!!!!!! Jealous.

HickChickBritt said...

Craziness! Could you even walk the next day? How about getting on and off the toilet!? haha Seriously though that sounds grueling!

Dinah Gacon said...

What an awesome and rewarding hike....I would hike any day for that pizza, yummy!!!!

xo Dinah @ sunshine super glam

Nikki said...

What a crazy walk!

Nicole said...

Oh yeah, it was definitely worth it because you did it! And the swelling, eh, it goes away :). Very cool you guys did that though.

Kate @ Daffodils said...

You guys look worn out! What a hike.

My-cliffnotes said...

Naps are the best! What a high but pretty place to go.

♥ ♥ Just a Girl in Love w/ a Soldier ♥ ♥ said...

That hike looks awesome. I can't wait to come to Colorado again and visit and see all the wonderful sites!!!

Anonymous said...

That sounds awesome! I wish we had things like that on the east coast. You guys get all the mountains :( And explain this, 1 mile up, 4 miles down, I should get it, but I don't.

Rach said...

What a walk! Looks like a fun experience, though. And that pizza at the end - so worth it all! :)

Courtney B said...

These pictures are GORGEOUS! I would die, that is for sure. But I'm so glad you did it and shared the pictures with us :) And that pizza sounds amazing right now!

Blush and Barbells said...

definitely worth it for the bragging rights!

Kim said...

That's so awesome! :)

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...