To say that I drastically miscalculated how much time I would have to write/play videogames/watch movies/be selfish while on leave would be an understatement.
For context, I’ve been on a leave of absence for the last few months due to the birth of our first miracle child. This girl was 8 years in the making. It’s really unreal that she’s here. I won’t dwell on that too much or I’ll get weepy, but the wife and I are in love with our little Tohru.
<<If you need help with the reference, go watch the anime Fruits Basket.>>
Anyway, before I returned to work, I wanted to make sure that I did at least one difficult hike while on the leave. I haven’t had a chance to climb a Fourteener since mount Bierstadt and I was itching to get back out there. A number of people recommended that I give The Incline a shot and I decided to go for it on Monday morning.
It was intense to say the very least.
<<That manure eating grin wasn’t long for this hike. My face ran the gauntlet of expressions from spittle dripsto holy sh*ts>>
As shown in the picture at the top of this post, 2744 steps isn’t a walk in the park. Firstly because there’s actually 2,768 steps to the very top, and secondly, because the stairmaster is the least used cardio machine for a reason. In reality, climbing the Incline was the equivalent of skipping every three steps on the stairmaster for roughly 3,000 steps. I’m not terribly out of shape (more of a pear than an hourglass, emiriteladies), but it did take me an hour and eight minutes to complete the mile track straight up. What was failed to be mentioned was the 3 miles DOWN THE BARR TRAIL to get to the parking lot, which then was another 1.3 mile hike through town to get where I actually parked, stats below:
When I started the hike, I was counting the rails as I hit them. You’ll notice in the photo below that every hundred steps there was a steel placard showing what number that rail was. The deal was that I would do 100 steps and then pause and take a break.
By the time I got to 1000 steps I was doing it for every 10 steps unless I felt great.
By the time I hit 2000 steps I was maybe making it to six.
<<That gallon was full at the start of the hike…>>
It was kind of cool to talk to so many different people from so many different places who were attempting the climb. There was a lady with a four month old baby that was crushing it and inspiring me to go further every time I resumed my climb. There was a guy with walking sticks who was just doing his darndest no matter how long it took even if it was all day.
It was a really cool day overall and it got me thinking about the last couple of months I’ve had off and how closing my book on my life pre-Tohru meant the start of a brand new book: Dad Duty.
<<There’s an irony to the church at the bottom of the incline being “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” as most hikers were in need of perpetual help to keep going.>>
To all those who said I’d have a ton of free time while on leave:
No, I didn’t finish any TV series.
No, I didn’t finish a new script (but I did turn in draft 2 of my current one!)
No I didn’t finish writing a book. I haven’t even finished the third book in my series, something I had started all the way back in August of last year.
No, I didn’t get to finish draft two of book 2, something I was hoping I would have done before the baby arrives.
So what did I do? I became dad.
And that took everything I had and pushed me to new places, one of them being what my sister called “a new tired you never knew you never knew”
All this is to say that looking at my writing, I could see a parallel with my experience on the incline, and maybe dare I say who I am as a person?
With writing the third book (50 pages until draft 1 done) it was like hiking the incline. I’m now at the point with the book where I’m taking ten steps and then taking a long break. I can see the top, I know it’s there, but dang I gotta catch my breath. Just give me a minute.
Meanwhile time keeps on slippin’ slippin’ slippin’ into the future.
<<So near and yet so far. I could’ve rung out ten ounces of sweat if I tore that shirt off.>>
But even if I’m going slower than I did with the first two books, I’m still taking those steps. I’m not turning around, I’m not calling for the helicopter to rescue me (no one did that day but its been known to happen) and most importantly, I’m not quitting.
I recently posted a piece on my facebook page from TJ Newman, author of the breakout hit and soon to be movie Falling where she talks about all the rejection she received in her writing career: I didn’t come this far just to come this far.
Damn straight. Same for me. Same for you? Hope so.
<<Pic from the top. Darn clouds. But still good to be in them, even if it blocks the view of where you can from, which I suppose is ALSO a metaphor for reaching your goal where many of the steps become foggy BUT I DIGRESS>>
In closing of this off the top of my head piece with little to no revising, this website is about to change. With the release of my first few books before the year ends, I’ll blog a little less and start focusing more on releasing my stories for you to read and see and hold or listen to.
Still, I updated my tracker on my homepage, something I want to keep doing for myself and for you. Thanks for reading this blog post and I’ll catch you in the next one.
<<You bet I’m happy to sport my Superstars Writing Seminar shirt!>>
~Nic
