News
Incline Work Day May 12, 2012
Last weekend the Incline Friends held a Manitou Incline workday and about 60 people helped out. Hiking the Incline is still illegal and most likely will continue to be so at least for another few months. In spite of the Incline still not being legal, the focus of the workday was implementing some of the provisions of the Incline Management Plan.
A fence was built around the Barr Trail parking lot. The social trail from the parking lot up to the Incline was covered up. A sign was put up at the bottom of the Incline with the Incline rules. The rules include the controversial no dogs allowed and dawn to dusk rules. The base for a donation tube was also installed.
Thanks to Tim Bergsten of Pikes Peak Sports for these photos of the workday.
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Incline Work Day May 12
The Incline Friends have a major volunteer work day planned for the Incine for May 12th. You’ll have the opportunity to be one of the first volunteers to help improve the Maintou Incline. Join the Cities of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs, REI, Incline Friends, Trails and Open Space Coalition, and Friends of the Peak to help
- Prune vegetation and remove rebar from the trail corridor
- Install fence around the Barr Parking Lot
- Close social trails
- Install wayfinding signs
- Rehab portions of Barr Trail
Parking is only available at Manitou Springs High School. Buses will transport volunteers to the Barr Parking Lot. Do not park at the Barr Trailhead parking lot as this parking will be reserved for recreational users.
Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m., with work starting at 8 a.m. Work will finish around 3 p.m.
The first bus will leave the high school’s parking lot at 7 a.m., with the second bus leaving at 7:20 a.m.
Please dress in layers so you’re prepared for our Colorado weather; closed toe shoes, water, work gloves, and lunch are a must! Sunscreen and hats are recommended.
Trail work is no fun for dogs, so please leave your pooches at home. This project is limited to those 12 years and older, children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and have a waiver signed by a guardian. Sign-up for the work day at on the REI site.
Please note the Incline is not officially open or legal, hiking the Incline is still considered trespassing. Due to the nature of the Incline, trail work will range from moderate to difficult. If the weather is inclement please visit Incline Friends or Trails and Open Space Coalition that morning to see if the project has been canceled. If canceled the make-up day will be May 19th.
21 year old and over volunteers will get free coupons to enjoy a “tasting” of “Manitou Incline Malbec Wine” at D’Vine Wine in Manitou Springs immediately following the volunteer project.
The Incline Friends ask that you arrive prepared to work since you can hold up your whole group if you aren’t prepared. You shouldn’t have to run back to your car for anything. In the case of this work day, that would mean a long trek from the Barr parking lot back to Manitou High School. Being prepared means having your sun screen already applied, being appropriately dressed in long pants, sturdy footwear (no sandals), gloves to wear and (in your pack) another clothing layer or two, including rain gear, maybe a hat. You should have everything with you that you will need for that day: water, snacks, cell phone, sunglasses, sun screen (for re-applying as perspiration takes a layer away), anything you feel is important to have with you out on the trail, medicine, bug dope, etc.
Death on the Incline
This afternoon El Paso County Search and Rescue and the Manitou Fire Department responded to the Incline after an off-duty paramedic reported he had ceased CPR on a woman. She was about 1/3 of the way up the Incline. Search and Rescue reported that it was an apparent cardiac arrest and that they were unable to revive her.
At this point, the only thing known about the lady is that she was 58. Some people may assume she wasn’t in the best of shape but fit athletes have dropped dead from heart attacks. In fact it is now being reported that Ultra-marathon runner Micah True, who went missing in New Mexico in March, died of heart disease.
Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.
A week and a half ago, search and rescue responded to a call for a hiker on lower Barr Trail. From what they reported, it sounded like he was having chest pains and had a cardiac arrest after they reached him. Fortunately they were able to successfully defibrillated him. It is unknown if had hiked the Incline or just been on Barr Trail.
On June 15, 2009, a man suffered a heart attack near the top of the Incline. Other hikers administered CPR but he was dead when search and rescue reached him.
Incline Friends Membership Meeting
Incline Friends will hold its first General Membership meeting at 6 PM, Thursday, May 3. It will be held at the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation offices, 1401 Recreation Way. Everyone is invited to attend.
They will discuss the Incline Friends organizational status, provide updated information about the legalizing the Incline and discuss 13 crucial steps that will lead to opening day! There will also be information about the May 12 volunteer work day.
Representatives from Incline Friends partner cities and organizations will be available to answer questions and take your input. Incline Friends is also interested in your ideas about the direction of the friends group.
Inclinathon – Manitou Incline 13 Times in a Row
Think it’s hard to hike the Manitou Incline once? How about 2 times in a row? Back in January, Brandon Stapanowich proposed the brutal Inclinathon consisting of 13 Incline round trips.
It wasn’t until a few days ago that Ed Baxter read the post on Pikes Peak Sports. Ed and his twin brother Fred climb the Incline often. Ed thought why not give the Inclinathon a try.
He started his Inclinathon attempt at 3 AM on Saturday. Although he struggled on lap 9 and took a nap, he finished 13 Incline round trips in 13 hours and 15 minutes. Ed’s the first to do the Inclinathon but some others a planning on attempting it next week.
Read more about Ed’s Inclinathon on Pikes Peak Sports.
Bicycle Dreams Movie Fundraiser
The Race Across America (RAAM) has been called the world’s toughest bike race. It is approximately 1.5 times the distance of the Tour de France but has a time limit of 12 days instead of the 3 weeks that the Tour de France takes. That makes for a minimum of 250 miles a day. RAAM racers are on the bikes 20+ hours a day and ride alone instead of in a pack.
You might wonder what it has to do with the Manitou Incline. A movie about RAAM is being used as a fundraiser for the Incline Friends. Bicycle Dreams is a feature-length documentary about the 2005 RAAM. It was won awards at many film festivals over the last few years.
The Bicycle Dreams fundraiser is on Wednesday, March 28 at 7 PM at the Stargazers Theatre. Tickets cost $11 in advance online at imATHLETE or $15 at the door. Tickets are also available at the Colorado Running Company, 833 N. Tejon, and 9275 N. Union, Suite 120; Carmichael Training Systems, 600 S. 21st; Criterium Bicycles, 6150 Corporate Center Dr., and Team Telecycle at 615 S. Baldwin St. in Woodland Park.
There will be 2 RAAM finishers at the movie showing to tell about their personal experiences. Fred Boethling set a new record in 2006 for the 60+ age category. He is now the organizer for RAAM.
You can read a Bicycle Dreams review here. If you want to more about RAAM, you can read a Race Across America FAQ here.
Act of Congress Needed to Legalize Hiking the Incline
Yes, you read the title correctly. It looks like it’s literally going to take an act of the US Congress to legalize hiking the Manitou Incline although it’ll take even more than that.
The Incline Friends found out last summer that the federal government has to declare railroads abandoned before the land can be used for something else. There was confusion about whether it applied to the Incline since it was only a mile long and didn’t connect to another tracks. At the Incline Friends Membership Drive in January, one of the board members said that they didn’t have final word but thought it wouldn’t be a problem.
Now it’s become clear it’ll take an act of Congress to allow the U.S. Forest Service to accept the Manitou and Pike’s Peak Railway’s relinquishment of their right-of-way. A couple weeks ago Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05) introduced H.R. 4073 to address the Incline right-of-way.
“This is just one of many necessary steps needed to hopefully open the Manitou Incline. I want to recognize and thank all those in Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs who have been working on resolving this issue for years. This Act of Congress addresses an obscure territorial-era law on the federal books related to railways. I have every expectation that this bill will move quickly through the House and could become law as early as this Spring, pending passage in the Senate. This bill does not resolve all the issues necessary for legal access to the Incline, but does solve the critical federal roadblock.” — Doug Lamborn (CO-05)
Two more big steps for legalizing the Incline take place on February 28, 2012 when both Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs city councils are to vote on the inter-governmental agreement for managing the Incline.
Incline Conditions Mid February 2012
The trail conditions on the Manitou Incline haven’t changed much in the last few weeks since there hasn’t been much new snow. There has been a bit more snow for a day or 2 after newsnow and then it melts.
There still is ice left from older snows just below the track split about half way and then above the false summit. There isn’t much ice on the lower section but above the false summit is quite icy in spots.
The photos on this page were taken in the afternoon on Sunday, February 12th. There wasn’t quite as much snow on the upper section on Thursday but it was still quite icy and required caution to keep from slipping without traction devices. Carrying Kahtoola MicroSpikes, YakTrax, or Stabilicers Lite would still be a good idea if you aren’t comfortable on ice.
The social short cut down to Barr Trail is mostly clear. Barr trail has a few short, icy sections but it is also mostly clear.
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Foggy Incline Sunrise
Jeff Gallup got this awesome shot (click to enlarge) from the top of the Manitou Incline early Thursday morning, February 16. Fog blanketed most of Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs but the top of the Incline was above the clouds. You can see the lights of Manitou Avenue peeking through in the lower left of the picture.
Many thanks to Jeff for providing this photo to us. You can follow Jeff’s adventures in minimalistic shoes on his Barefoot Inclined blog.
Manitou City Council Discussing Incline IGA Tonight
Manitou Springs city council is discussing the Inter-Governmental Agreement with Colorado Springs for the Manitou Incline in a work session tonight at 7 PM. They could move it to a February 28 vote or scuttle it for now. The work session is open to the public.
Colorado Springs city council considered it yesterday and moved it to a February 28th vote without much discussion. It isn’t expected to be such clear sailing tonight in Manitou. Last month Manitou’s Parking Authority Board voted to ask council to wait to approve the IGA until there’s a parking plan in place. Council member Matt Carpenter who started the Incline Club and had a part in popularizing it doesn’t seem to want it legalized at all since he thinks it has gotten to be too popular of a hike.
A packet including the IGA and supporting documents is posted on the Manitou Incline website if you want to see the details.
