holiday
July Fourth Fireworks 2016
The Manitou Springs Fire Department sets off Fourth of July fireworks from Higginbotham Flats. Most people watch the parade on Manitou Avenue and then enjoy the firework show. The Manitou Incline is also a cool place to watch them. You do need to head up the Incline by 8 PM though to keep from breaking the rules.
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderfully day with family and friends celebrating the birth of Christ.
If your day includes the Incline, please use caution and traction devices. Both the Incline and Barr Trail are quite icy in spots.
Christmas Ornaments for Tree at Top
If you haven’t seen it, there’s a tree at the top of the Manitou Incline that people decorate for Christmas. It’s a nice tradition that has grown over the last few years.
This weekend (December 14 and 15), the Incline Friends will help you add to the decorations on the tree. The Incline Friends will be at the bottom in the mornings before noon. If you donate, they will give you an ornament that you can take to the top and put on the tree. You’ll be able to write your name and time on it.
Their email said that they’d be at the bottom of the Incline. A couple weeks ago they had their table over at the Barr Parking lot so if you don’t see them at the actual bottom, check in the Barr Parking lot.
The Great Incline Pumpkin Escape
This past weekend I carved up a Manitou Incline jack-o-lantern. I’ve had this shot as the cover photo on the Manitou Incline Hike Facebook page for a few days.
I was inspired by the great Incline Friends pumpkin that Roger Austin took to the top of the Incline last year. Roger also did another Incline pumpkin the year before.
Like Roger I planned to take the pumpkin to the top of the Incline. It was a fair sized pumpkin and barely fit into my large backpacking pack.
Last evening I loaded up the pumpkin and hit the Incline a little before dark as the last few hikers of the day were coming down. I knew it would add to the challenge of the Incline but I used to carry my daughter up in the backpack. The pumpkin wasn’t as heavy as my daughter when I quit carrying her up but I still definitely felt it.
I got to the top of the Incline and prepared to shot some photos of the pumpkin. I had it sitting just above the top tie. I was trying different camera angles before setting up the tripod.
As I was looking into the camera view finder, it appeared the pumpkin was moving. Sure enough it fell over and started rolling. It quickly disappeared into the darkness and I could hear it shattering into pieces on the ties below.
Once again Roger carved a great Incline pumpkin and hauled it to the top this morning. He takes better care of his pumpkins and got this shot of his latest one.
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.
Incline Friends Jack ‘O Lantern
Trudging up the Manitou Incline is quite the workout. Imagine hauling a Jack ‘O Lantern up it.
That’s exactly what Roger Austin did early Sunday morning when it was still dark out. This is the 2nd year he’s carved a pumpkin and taken it up the Incline for Halloween. This year he used the Incline Friends logo for the design.
Roger says, “I think the people who saw it, liked it, so mission accomplished! It was fun. It’s too bad the weather is so warm. It’s not holding up well.”
Congratulations to Roger on his pumpkin hauling and a big thanks for sharing some photos.
Winter Has Come to the Incline
With the dry fall and early winter, the Manitou Incline has been mostly free of snow and ice. That all changed with the 2 snow storms the week before Christmas.
Although the snow has melted off sections of the Incline and Barr Trail, there’s still plenty of ice. Often the ice from the melting and freezing is more slippery than when the snow first falls. It’s a pretty time of year on the Manitou Incline but use Kahtoola MicroSpikes, YakTrax, or Stabilicers Lite and be safe.
Here are some photos from December 23, 2011 and include the tree decorated at the the top of the Incline with Christmas decorations.
Happy Thanksgiving Manitou Incline Style
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
The great UpaDowna folks are continuing their Thanksgiving Incline Happy Hour tradition this year. They’ll be heading up the Incline around 5 and then having a potluck around 7 at The Royal Tavern.
Everyone is welcome. Bring some food to share if you can.
If you’ve been paying attention, it’s dark by 5 so you’ll need a headlamp to hike the Incline. Oh and no one has found a way to get the red tape yet so you’re still trespassing if you’re on the Incline.
Manitou Incline Jack-o-Lantern
Think it’s tough to hike up the Manitou Incline? Just imagine what it would be like to haul this pumpkin up it. Thanks to frequent Incline hiker Jill for the photo. She says there was also candy!
