First Timers

Nothing beats 6:30 on a Saturday morning and having three of your closest friends waiting at your front door ready to drive down to Manitou Springs and do the Incline!  A quick stop at Starbucks and we were on our way!  For the three of them, it was their first time attempting the workout that has easily become my biggest addiction (outside of chocolate ice cream)!!

Driving down I25 and seeing Pike's Peak and eventually the break in the mountain that IS THE INCLINE, is both breathtaking and nerve wrecking.  The drive through Manitou Springs with the Incline looming in front of you, brings butterflies to my stomach no matter how many times I've done it before!

After driving around trying to find parking in an ever so busy little town, we were walking up to the base of the crazy staircase that leads up to the top which is 1 mile and over 2,000 feet in elevation gain. There is nothing better than sharing something you love with great friends.  There were no shortage of smiles (and maybe some exhaustion) that came from sharing this experience!  Once at the top, we found this incredible little box...which of course quickly became the best little photo op prop!

**This is me making sure that this box isn't going sliding down the mountain before I fully commited to getting inside!**

And what would be a day of outdoor activity without climbing some rocks with Nicole!  As always, we found ourselves on top of the highest ones, just to take in the scenery from a slightly different angle!

It's amazing how you can do the same thing several times, but when you do it with others you see things in a completely different light.  Sometimes you have to take a step back and truly take in your surroundings...to see what makes others smile...to share a few laughs...and in this case A LOT of deep breathing!!  There's no doubt that today was another amazing Colorado day for me and another successful climb up the incline....but whether Brett, Matt, and Nicole will ever go with me again is still up in the air!!  :)