Last year I found the Manitou Incline and went there a couple of times. I love the challenge of the climb. After being so frustrated and feeling the need to do something to prove my progress, I wanted to go to the incline this past weekend; however, so did everyone else in Colorado (or so it seemed). The one thing about the incline is that there really is not a large amount of parking. So, rather than spend time searching for parking or adding a long walk from the town of Manitou Springs, I decided to find another hike.
On the way out of Colorado Springs, I realized that I have never been to the Garden of the Gods. So, I zipped over and easily found parking. Walking to the hiking trails, I saw that I could pretty much stay on one trail and get some mileage in and maybe some hill climbing too. So, I headed out. There were plenty of people around and I wasn't going to deep into the trails, so I felt it would be a good day....and it was. I ended up hiking down one trail and then needing to find a restroom. Funny thing is that the restrooms were back in the parking lot I had parked in so I had to circle back and start all over again about 30 minutes into my hike.
I ended up doing 3.3 miles and having a great time just being alone with my thoughts. I went down some hills but nothing like the incline. It was also something that I really like about running...the solitude of it all.
Here are some photos from the hike:
My Garmin report on the elevation changes of the hike:
My mood is improving. I had a good appointment with my nutritionist. I had done some blood work to confirm that there were no issues with my thyroid. There are not and I am thankful for that. We talked about continuing the work to resolve issues with my adrenals and cortisol levels. I am giving up caffeine for now...which sounded a lot easier when I decided to do it than it has been this weekend. I am tracking my food so she can review and see if there are any holes in what I am consuming. Just the action of tracking has been a good thing as I am concentrating on getting in the meals and snack she has been recommending. We will see if this helps.
I will blog as I start hiking through the summer.
That's a pretty area. I lived in Aurora once, a long time ago. I haven't been near Pike's Peak since 1978.
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful....in many ways but we honestly miss the big hardwood forests of the midwest and New England...but I will continue to find beauty here in Colorado.
DeleteHi Lynn! I'm glad you found so much fitness inspiration. The pictures are beautiful!
ReplyDelete:-) Marion
Thanks for your continued encouragement and support.
DeleteWow! I only wish I had the same scenery when I went out for my walks. My husband used to live in Colorado years ago before we met and he keeps saying he's going to take me there for the weekend. So far, it hasn't happened. I love the name of that hiking trail, Garden of the Gods... that's pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteColorado is a great place to visit. I hope you get to do so. Garden of the Gods is actually a park of rock formations near Colorado Springs. There are several hiking trails around the park and this was on one of them.
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