Now, ever since I found out I would be spending my summer in Colorado Springs, I knew I wanted to tackle "The Incline" at some point. However, I figured "at some point" would be after I'd had a few weeks to adjust to the altitude and get into a regular exercise routine...I certainly wasn't expecting to climb it on my second full day here! But Jordan wanted to go for it, and Steven enthusiastically encouraged it. Ruth and I were a little less optimistic but we still went for it...even though it meant waking up at 5:45am.
A little background on the Incline for those of you not familiar with it...it consists of the remnants of an old cog railway that closed in 1990. Following the railway's close, hikers, athletes, and people looking for a unique workout took over, turning it into an unofficial hiking trail. It is technically illegal to climb because it's private property (so hiking the Incline is trespassing), but you'd never know that by looking at it. On any given day, there are plenty of people climbing up and down it. The Barr Trail to Pikes Peak meets it twice, once about halfway up (providing the "bailout trail" for people who don't think they can make it up to the top) and then again at the top (so most people take the Incline up and the Barr Trail down). The Incline ascends over 2,000ft in a mile and a half...so it's a very challenging workout but gives you a lot of personal satisfaction when you've reached the summit!
The Manitou Incline...and me regretting my decision to climb it
Believe it or not, this is the easy part.
Made it to the top!
Jordan, Ruth, and I made it to the top in just under an hour and a half, which surprised all of us, I think (we were half-expecting to have to use the bailout trail). I'm already anxious for my next trip to the Incline...climbing stairs up the side of a mountain has to be a good workout for speedskating!
And, as promised...here are a a few pictures from our trip to the US Olympic Training Center yesterday!
Ruth and I imitating the short track speedskater statues behind us
Jordan hurt himself trying to imitate the above karate pose
This is for you, Hillary!
We mainly just goofed around with the statues, obviously...we drove back by the dorm that I'll be living in, but we weren't really sure if we were allowed back there or not. So, after our exploratory drive and our goofing around, we headed back to Ruth and Steven's apartment!
We ate dinner at Trinity Brewing Company, which was excellent...I unfortunately didn't take my camera, though. We had cheesecake made with beer! And more surprisingly...it was really good! Jordan and Steven were more interested in the beer that Trinity brews themselves, though.
That's it for now...tomorrow probably won't be too interesting because I'll be recovering from the Incline!
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