News
Emma Crawford Races October 26, 2013
The Emma Crawford Coffin races are tomorrow October 26, 2013. The races are noon until 3 PM. I don’t know when Manitou Avenue will be closed but I’d expect by mid morning it’ll be tough to find parking in Manitou.
If you plan on hiking the Incline tomorrow, go early or late or plan on some craziness. Of course if you’re spectating or participating in the coffin races, you’ll already be in Manitou so you should make a trip up the Incline.
What’s Important to You in Colorado Springs?
Nick Kittle wants to know what’s important to the people of Colorado Springs. Nick used to work for Colorado Springs doing sustainability stuff but now runs his own company, Sustainovation LLC.
To find out what’s important to Colorado Springs residents, Nick created a survey with 22 possible local projects. You can chose up to 5 and rank them in importance. There’s also a box to add something that’s not on the list. It’s not an official survey but Nick likes to get things done and has connections so it’s a good way to get your voice heard.
There are several outdoor related projects including Manitou Incline improvements. I’m not sure the Incline needs to be improved but it does need to be stabilized and maintained so it doesn’t deteriorate further. Other outdoor projects include Ring the Peak (Pikes Peak), Implement the Bike Master Plan, Bike share program and Pikes Peak Greenway improvements (including waterway fixes/trail, etc).
Deadline to complete the survey is Friday October 25th at midnight. Go fill out the survey and get your voice heard!
Incline Work Day October 2013
Last Saturday, October 12, 2013, I got up early and headed up the Incline at 6 AM to get some Incline sunrise photos. I ran down the Incline to get back for the Incline Friends work day.
Volunteers filled erosion gullies on the lower part of the Incline. Gravel that has made the Incline narrow through the hill cut was removed and made that area the widest it’s been in several years. Some social trails were also blocked off and seeded. Please stay on the trails!
A big thanks to everyone you came out and to La’au’s Taco Shop for the yummy lunch!
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Fall Manitou Incline T-Shirts
Fall Manitou Incline t-shirts are available to pre-order now through Thursday afternoon.
I’m using a t-shirt site that does pre-orders and then they print and ship them. It should make it simple for you and me. Order one now as they won’t be available after Thursday!
Incline Photos October 12, 2013
I went up the Incline on Saturday October 12, 2013 before the Incline work day to try getting some sunrise photos. The ties were frosty so I had to be extra careful.
At first it didn’t look promising for sunrise but then the sun popped up from behind the low clouds. Some great color for a few minutes as the sun rose through the lower and upper layers of clouds.
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Incline Work Day
The Manitou Incline is constantly being eroding with it’s steep grade. This summer’s rains have been hard on the Incline. A planned workday in September got canceled since city resources to support the work day were needed elsewhere because of the flooding.
The Incline work day has been rescheduled for October 12th, 2013. Volunteers will meet at 7:30 AM in the Barr Trail parking lot with work commencing at 8 AM. Trail work will end around 1 PM.
The work day will be for trail clean up and some trail restoration. LA’AU’S taco shop will be providing lunch for volunteers.
Details are still being worked out but there may be a shuttle for volunteers from the Tajine Alami restaurant. Registered volunteers will be given details closer to the work day if there will be a shuttle.
To register, please call 385-6532 or e-mail Tilah Larson at tlarson@springsgov.com as they’d like an accurate head count prior to the work day. If you’re able to go last minute and haven’t registered, you can just show up at the Barr parking lot. Really try to register though since it’ll help them plan work and lunch.
Check the Incline Friends site for the latest updates.
Iron Springs Chateau Incline Fundraiser
The Incline Friends are having a fundraiser for the Incline at the Iron Springs Chateau on Friday, October 4. For $30 you get dinner (4 entree choices, including gluten free pasta), coffee, tea and water AND a voucher for one free day of parking at the Iron Springs Chateau parking area (any day, as availability of spaces allow). Dinner is at 6 PM and the show begins at 8 PM.
We’ve shed blood, sweat and tears on the Incline, a mixture that creates some solid friendships. Instead of the usual stitch in your side from the Incline, you’ll be in stitches over the improvisational humor of Stick Horses in Pants as they wing some zingers at the totally insane and rockin’ workout that we all know and love.
Make your reservations now (719-685-5104) for a night of laughs and frivolity along with all of your fellow Incliners at the Iron Springs Chateau. The Chateau is generously donating half of the evening’s proceeds to the Incline Friends.
Avoid Incline Sunday August 18th, 2013
The Pikes Peak Ascent was this morning which made it difficult to get to the Manitou Incline until after 8:30 AM. Access tomorrow, Sunday August 18th, 2013, will be tough until late afternoon.
The Pikes Peak Marathon starts at 7 AM on Manitou Avenue and goes up Ruxton and on to Barr Trail. The leaders will be coming back down Barr Trail and Ruxton mid-morning. Slower runners will still be coming down well in to the afternoon.
There will be no parking on Ruxton throughout the day. Runners will be coming down Barr Trail so it’s best to stay off it. If you feel the need to hike the Incline tomorrow, please wait until late afternoon or evening to avoid disrupting the Pikes Peak Marathon.
Incline Champions Breakfast
The Incline Friends are having an Incline Champions Breakfast at 7 a.m. Wednesday, April 17th, at the Double Tree World Arena, 1775 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd.
The Incline is a cherished landmark in our community. This will be an “ask” event, as funding is required to make improvements on the Incline while maintaining its unique and rugged character.
Climber and trail runner, Chaz Lalonde, will share stories of summiting Mount Everest in 2012. Several Olympic athletes will also attend. Enjoy a breakfast of champions and help preserve and enrich the Incline experience.
Tickets ($35) can be purchased on the InclineFriends.com home page. Everyone who attends will receive the Incline Friends Tech T-shirt at the event. See you there!
Incline Bench Breaks Rules
If you’ve been up the Manitou Incline this week, you’ve seen something new at the summit. A GORUCK Challenge hauled a lovely bench up the Incline last Saturday.
The bench weighs over a 1000 pounds. It was carried up in pieces but the heaviest piece still was around 500 pounds. The bench is a memorial to David and Whitney Dunlap who were murdered during a burglary in January.
Now Colorado Springs and the Forest Service have decided it needs to be removed. GORUCK thought they had permission for the bench but didn’t get the required permit from the Forest Service.
Since it was announced that the bench must be removed, Congressman Lamborn and Senator Bennet have offered to help find a solution. As of Friday evening, 1,353 people have signed an online petition supporting the bench.
Eric Gove photographed the GORUCK Challenge and wrote more details about getting the bench to the top of the Incline. The story and photos are definitively worth checking out.
