A Stairway to Hell

Have you ever felt like if you took one more step, you would die a terrible and very painful death?

Has your heart ever raced in your chest so fast and hard that you thought it might explode?

Have you ever felt the sting in your ears as you continued on to higher elevations?

I guess the most important question I have for you is this: Have you ever hiked to Hell?

I have.

My sweet, sweet friend Erica thought it would be such a wonderful morning activity. "Hey Sara," she says to me, "Would you like to come die with me?" Okay, maybe she didn't say that, but she may as well have! It was more like this, "Hey Sara, there is this thing called the incline, and it's these steps that go straight up the mountain, want to come with me?"

And poor little Sara, who has been bored and indoors most of this week said, "Heck yeah I want to come, I love hiking!"

This was not hiking. This was like... torture. 

You have to understand, I haven't really exercised in forever. Seriously, you all know I've been trying to gain weight (which you will see I've been very successful at in the pictures). So for the last 3 1/2 years I've been a couch potato.

We actually had a really great time, but I had to stop like 500 thousand times to catch my breath. Erica was very nice and didn't complain that I was slowing her down. 

The Manitou Incline use to be a railway, but now it's a test of strength and endurance (which, by the way, I passed). It literally goes straight up the mountain, with a vertical gain of 2,200 feet.

It was insane. And really fun. And really hard. And really insane. Did I tell you that it was insane? :)

I'm happy that I lived to tell the tale. I'm just not looking forward to how my body will feel tomorrow...

Here are some awesome pictures that Erica and I took:

I sacrificed my jeans to get good pictures. See that bottom right there?

It will most likely be flat tomorrow... 

See my little belly? Be proud.

Isn't she soooo pretty? She's as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside :)

It was around this time that I started saying "Oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH!"

The bottom step in this picture says "FAKE TOP." Do you see it?

I looked up the mountain and saw this spot praying that it would be the end.

As you can see, it wasn't. Not by a long shot. Maybe I should have named

this post the never ending staircase to hell.

WE MADE IT!!

My splotchy red face proves it.

Looking down. It doesn't look as impressive as it was. But it was impressive. I promise.

Just celebrating how cool we are on the hike down.

Gotta have the jumping shots. We are on top of the world.

Now THAT was an adventure!