I think I can, I think I can...

by Michelle
(Boston)

Flew in from Boston on Thursday and decided to take the Manitou Incline challenge with a friend who is a Colorado native. He warned me of the intensity of the incline but I went into it willing and excited.

We arrived at the incline on Friday and headed off on our hike at 10 am, there was a bit of welcoming cloud cover and the trail wasn't too crowded. We paced ourselves throughout, drank lots of water, luckily my friend came well equipped with a camel back filled with water plus two additional water bottles.

The hardest part of the trek was adjusting to the elevation but what a thrill when we finally made it to the top. It took up 1 hour 45 minutes (a little long but needed to keep stopping and hydrating, the temps were in the 80's).

The views are amazing every step of the way and the other hikers were friendly and cordial to one another. We rested up top for approximately 20 minutes and then decided to head back down.

That's where the fun began. There's a lot of loose gravel and you need to be cautious and mindful of your footing, it can be a bit slippery. Halfway down, I got distracted by an approaching hiker, lost my footing and slipped head first, managing to bang up and bruise my thigh and shoulder. Luckily my friend grabbed me and managed to stop me from continuing my descent face first down the incline on loose gravel.

Other than that minor mishap, which could have been completely avoided had I been paying attention to my footing, the hike was amazing. I would definitely do it again (but will wait till my battle scars heal a bit).

Enjoy and be safe! It's awesome!


EDITOR'S NOTE: Michelle, your Manitou Incline story was awesome! Thanks for all the details, and especially reminding people about the altitude and need to rest and hydrate. It's tempting to want to run up this thing full blast, but the human body has its limitations! Especially if you're coming from sea level. Glad you got up and down reasonably safe. And hope you tackle it again next time you're in Colorado Springs.