Manitau Incline

We are sorting through photos from this summer and realized that we haven't blogged about our trip to Colorado.  We put together a quick trip west before the back to school frenzy.  We had some hotel gift certificates that we had to use and a work event, which explains our Colorado Springs to Denver to Fort Collins route.  Everything fit together nicely, even with the moving from place to place.

Our first day in Colorado was spent around Colorado Springs.  My husband found a trail that he thought would be fun to hike.  I agreed without getting any details.

On the drive, he began to share information from various websites.

Me:  What trail are we hiking again?
Him:  The Manitau Incline.  It is only a mile up.  It used to be an old rail line.
Me:  Sounds cool.
Him:  It's classified as a "difficult" trail.  I think that is because it gains 2,000 feet of vertical with 2,800 railroad ties. 
Me:  (Gulp.)  What the heck?  I am not feeling very confident.

I didn't get any reassurance from the first impression.

 

This photo is from the beginning of the trail where you tell yourself that you can do this.  The little kids coming down the mountain with their parents are proof that this is climbable.  I was also not yet sweaty, thirsty, sun-baked, hungry, and sore.  I was full of optimism and hope.

 Some sections were a little rough.  I had to take several breaks during the two hour climb.  In retrospect, I needed more than one granola bar for the trip and maybe some lunch to fuel my body.  We thought ahead to bring water at least.

 The view from the top was really cool.  I am so glad that I didn't quit, though there were moments when I thought my husband was going to have to pick me up on the way back down.

 We took the four mile Barr Trail back to the base.  It started to rain and thunder a bit, so we hustled.

 It was so nice to have some cloud cover and the beautiful views.

I am not sure who took this photo or when it was taken.  It was sent to us by people who had been on the trail recently.  As if the climb wasn't difficult enough, a bear might just wonder through.  No big deal.

If you are looking for a physical challenge, and want to earn some great views, check out the Incline Trail.