Stairmaster From Hell

… also known as “The Incline”

The incline with Pikes Peak in the background-- I did not take this picture.

In the early 1900′s Colorado Springs built a system of pipes to deliver water to residents near Manitou and Colorado Springs.  The railway that helped them lay the pipes through the mountains served its purpose and it was later turned into a tourist attraction, carting people up the mountain to view the scenery.  Rock slides made it too expensive to maintain, so the rails were pulled up, but the ties remained…

Looking down from about the midway point

The crazy athletic people of Colorado discovered this “incline,” and decided to turn it into the state’s largest outdoor stair-master.  With approximately 2,744 railroad ties, it covers a mile and ascends 2,000 feet.  The average grade is 41% and the steepest grade is 68%.  Oh, also, it is mostly private property and maintained by enthusiasts, so technically it’s illegal to hike.

So Brinley and I have the day off…

Me, halfway up!

We huffed and puffed, took a few pit stops, only sat down once for a breather, crawled over rather large water pipes, saw a guy fall down about 5 stairs, met a guy who had hiking shoes on his dog, were encouraged by a really nice woman who could breathe unusually well for the altitude, saw a guy with a weight vest on monitoring his heart, were passed by a rather old gentleman who was sweating as if he were in Georgia, were slightly discouraged by the fake peak even though we were warned, and finally made it to the top!

Success!!!

At the summit, we sat down for about 15 minutes, drank the delicious purple G2, had a snack, then walked/jogged the 3ish miles down the Barr trail and learned why people run it instead of trying to walk.  It’s downhill and slippery… using gravity to your advantage is the smart way to go…  I feel great today!

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