#theincline

[mzindependent87]

Another hike with this beautiful soul 🌳🌿🍂😍😊 @feamasbella . #lagunabeach #theviews #theincline (at Big Bend) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq85-wCA5cp/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=18li7t7g2eefd

[marcocarlo]

#2744steps #theincline #coloradosprings #workout #spot #athlete #legday #calesthenics #crossfit https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvcmy9vHCfX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11x62q4yan1pq

[brandimolitor]

Lessons from Climbing Stairs

Arriving is a state of mind.

In a little town called Manitou Springs in Colorado, is a notoriously famous hike called The Incline - which climbs 2,744 stairs in just under a mile up the side of a mountain. The stairs start at 6,000’ in elevation and climb up just over 2,000’ — all much higher than my typical sea-level living.

On a cold, wet and snowy early morning, my partner and I decided to climb it on our trip. The trail typically climbs up to experience some expansive views of the surrounding mountains and town below, but on this typical morning, the hills were socked in with fog, and we weren’t able to see beyond 30’ or so in front of us.

We got to the trailhead and all I saw were steps. No top, no surrounding mountains. Trees and steps. I hadn’t even done any research on this hike, just that it was steep and something to accomplish.

I looked at the first few steps and thought “I got this.” I started to climb in to the sea of clouds. What a beautiful experience, I thought to myself. I settled in to the idea of feeling good in my body, hanging out in some nature.

After 10 or so minutes, I felt the frustration start to mount inside of me. “Where is the end?! I can’t see the top!” screamed out in to my head. I vacillated between talking myself in to trusting I’d get to the end and feeling frustration that I couldn’t see the end. Part of it was not being able to determine how fast to climb or how to set my mind for the climb. I wanted to KNOW the end so I knew how to be and how much to give. My mind raced with thoughts passing and rushing over me, but my questioning of “are we there yet?” stayed consistently present in the background.

The trail was light with hikers because of the weather and the time of day. There were only the two of us and one other fellow who was clearly not a regular climber of these stairs. Others were seasoned incline-goers, running up (and down) the snowy stairs. As they passed me I marveled at their physique. I compared myself a few times as they cheered me on and congratulated me on my efforts.

I eventually arrived at the top. Through the clouds I hit the last step. “This surely can’t be it?” I thought. “There are no more steps?” It seemed anticlimactic after all the pressure I put on myself to get to the end. All I wanted was to know where the end was and when I got there, I realized it was over.

When I finally hit the last step, I looked for more. I even ran around the flat top of the area, searching for more steps. I had a lot more energy left inside of me. It’s really over? I did it?

Then it hit me. This is how I show up in life, too: Entirely focused on the end and achieving the goal than enjoying and being present on the journey along the way, and saving energy in the tank for what-if’s.

Life isn’t about getting the prize at the end, crossing the finish line, winning the award, purchasing the next practice or business, landing the next big deal or fitting in to the certain size of pants. The real joy is in living one step at a time. I envisioned at times, too, how each step was similar to one moment or experience in life. That each step leads to another, and then another. We get to this point and we look back, like I did at the top of these stairs, and see the hill we climbed. Much to my soul’s delight, I could only see a few stairs behind me. The rest were lost in the clouds, as distant memories. I couldn’t even see where we started from. Just like in life, the starting point doesn’t matter, and neither does the end, really. It’s who we are and what we experience and what we give along the way, with the continued momentum forward.

Looking back, what’s funny is that we didn’t get “the view” everyone talks about from the top. A few people asked “wasn’t the view incredible?” All we saw were trees and fog and the handful of stairs behind us. I wouldn’t of wanted it any other way, though. I was being asked to look at what was right in front of me and focus in on the experience and to stay in the moment and not be distracted by the view. And what was even more revealing, is that the journey I had along the way wasn’t any less full of elation and pain than someone who got the view. Same trail. Same steps. Same beauty. Different view. All the same path. Totally glorious.

Once again, I was able to see it’s not about arriving at something - because once I arrived, it was never about the arrival at all.

It’s how I got there that created the experience.

Are you in a rush to the end? Consider pausing and enjoy the steps along the way. What would it be like for you to focus on the experience of and IN the journey rather than leaving your happiness and sense of fulfillment waiting for you at the finish line?

[saritashoemaker]

Here we go! Nighty-night. Moving upward. How will my knees do?! @shoe1214 #husbandUnit #movingAcrossThePlanet #manitousprings #theincline #122319 #coffeethenmountains https://www.instagram.com/p/B6Ztu0ngPxuOTI97cdjZWxLYb_wr8JqfLKEldg0/?igshid=1tiurqapjg0aa

[abbstractions]

2744 stairs, 68% grade, 2000 feet elevation gain in under a mile. DONE #TheIncline ✅ #Colorado #Hike (at Manitou Incline)

[chasingwatersc-blog]

Incline in the morning. #hiking #theincline #COS #coloradosprings #manitousprings

[creativecollectionpirate-sl-blog]

The incline. Still have never done it. Thinkin i might next week. Who wants to go? #theincline #trail #workout #epic #hiking #climbing #barrtrail #colorado #coloradosprings #CO #ManitouSprings #canon #landscape #photography #rebelsl1 #capture

[consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis]

This is a shot from last week when my dad and I (the birthday boy 🎉 and my fave partner in crime! --> @feetup_fitness) climbed #TheIncline in Manitou, Colorado 💪🏻 (its basically 2,300 steps straight up and an 8 mile round trip hike). While this quote was so fitting for that #fitness adventure, it's also exactly how I'm feeling right now. I have almost exactly one month until I move to #Mankato Minnesota for #gradschool...and I'm honestly terrified 🙀🙀🙀. A new state. New apartment. New job (teaching a college class before age 22!) and new challenging classes. I know the transition won't be easy...but I also know that, like the Incline, this crazy journey will be work the beautiful view 🌈 when I reach the top. What challenge are you facing in the next few months? Tell me in the comments! via Instagram http://ift.tt/2smUcpE

[evergreen003]

🎹 #theinclinations flip by @evergreen003 #boombap #hiphop #beats #beatmaking #makingbeats #alanevergreen #beatmaker #novation #launchpad #music #musicproduction #producer #redding #california #cratedigging #ditc #digginginthecrates #vinyl #vinyljunkie #alanevergreen (at Enterprise, Redding, California)

[marcocarlo]

#2744steps #theincline #coloradosprings #workout #spot #athlete #legday #calesthenics #crossfit

[chasingwatersc-blog]

[izzy-1each]

These legs have seen many a mile... New vlog is up! Take a look! #vlog #amateurphotography #amateurphotographer #vlogger #dailyvlog #dailyvlogs #dailyvlogger #youtube #s8plus #s8plusphotography #coloradosprings #blackandwhitephotography #amateurvideographer #asics #chevrolegs #theincline

[consulting-celiac-in-the-tardis]

I don’t think any Best Nine has captured my year better than the #bestnine2017. There was lots of (#glutenfree, #vegan, and #paleo) food 🍌🍕🍫. There was more #celiacawareness, including sharing my #celiac hospitalization story and my struggles to heal on a #glutenfreediet 💚. There were highs, like climbing #TheIncline and starting grad school...and there were lows, like losing my family’s favorite four-legged trouble maker 🐶. I don’t know what 2018 will have in store with me, but I’ve chosen “discomfort” as my #wordoftheyear. As such, I’m hoping to embrace the growing pains, the daily struggles of being a #fibrowarrior and the fatigue that comes with pushing myself harder than I imagined...but also accomplishing more than I dreamed 💞. Happy early New Year’s everyone! Tell me something about your 2017 or your 2018 goals in the comments ☺️👇🏻. via Instagram http://ift.tt/2BTNMko

[jademyers0401-blog]

Beautiful sunrise on the mountain #colorado #pikespeak #theincline #sunmountainlodge #sunwater #beautifulcolorado #keepmanitouspringsweird (at Manitou Springs, Colorado)