On a rare occasion people do come to visit me, and often it’s because they want to climb the Manitou Incline. There may come a day when my old legs will no longer carry me up the 2700 rugged steps over the old cog railway that takes one to 8500 feet in elevation in just one mile of near verticle climbing, but on this day I was willing to give it one more try. Even though the previous sentence may have set a record for word count, last weekend’s climb to the summit did not 😦
Don’t forget to visit my Youtube Channel, where you can watch a short video of our adventure!
My two nephews, Justin and Brady acquired the necessary permit for us to climb the beast, and were ready to go early on Saturday morning. I was already worn out from the walk across the parking lot, and was not too sure I was ready myself.
But over three decades of experience participating in foolhardy activities has taught me, one is never ready and you just turn off your brain and climb the mountain.
Of course though, I could not just carry a water bottle like everyone else. I had to bring a pack with a certain amount of camera gear to make sure the ill advised activity would be properly recorded. On this occasion I brought my Canon R7 with 18-150 kit lens, and relatively light combo for both excellent video and stills.
My enthusiastic, and much younger climbing partners soon left me in the dust, only stopping occasionally to see if they needed to call 911 for the old man. My equally enthusiastic, albeit less enthusiastic legs settled into a pace I believed would carry me to the top.
I began the climb using a technique I learned many years ago, that will help even an inexperienced climber to stay under the cardiovascular red-line. This method is of course my famous half step. You step up with one foot, followed by the other foot to the same step. then use the new foot to take the next step, followed by your original foot to the next step.
In this way, one can steadily climb without going into oxygen deficit too soon.
After a few minutes I stopped to catch my breath and take a look at my progress. It is amazing at how much elevation is gained in just a short distance. You can see the parking lot far below in the upper right of the image as others struggle to negotiate the steep railroad ties of the now defunct cog railway, which was built in 1907 to carrry passengers to the summit house. The facility was eventually torn down when the railway ceased to operate in 1990. The rails were also removed at that time, creating the rugged staircase now visited by over 70,000 visitors per year.
I stopped here to capture the ruggedness and difficulty of the climb. Fortunately rain clouds had begun to move in to provide welcome relief from the hot Colorado sun. But would we make it to the top and back down before the inevitable thunderstorms?
The views from the steep trail are incredible. Below you can see the city of Manitou Springs, Colorado Springs, and even Garden of the Gods from some vantage points, as others struggle to climb stairs that occasionally require a near crawl on hands and knees.
By this time I had found my pace and was steadily making progress toward the false summit. New climbers are often dismayed when the reach what they believe to be the summit, only to discover that another long steep climb lies before them.
As you climb higher and higher, one can see the curvature of the earth and of course Red Mountain, the location of yet another cog railway. Climbers can still explore the ruins of the old dance hall at the summit as they enjoy panoramic views of the entire city, and Garden of the Gods below. The cog is completely gone over there, but a beautiful trail leads hikers to that summit from the Iron Springs fresh water fountain.
Eventually we passed the final bailout point, where exhaused hikers can skip over the the Barr Trail and return safely to the train station and shuttle pick up point. My nephews had already caught summit fever by this time, and with a 911 call seeming out of the picture, left me in the dust.
However by this time my legs were in the groove, and with my heart pumping satisfactorily, I soldiered on. By this time it had become apparent that I was the oldest climber on the mountain. I didn’t see anyone my age, or even half my age 😦
Some struggled behind me, while others passed and left me behind. Eventually I could hear cheers of joy, and knew that my destination was near.
Of course with that joyous moment comes the realization that you have a quad busting three mile hike back to the bottom over treacherous and unforgiving rocks and boulders.
Eventually I reached the summit where Justin and Brady awaited, as they filmed my relatively ugly final steps as my now wooden legs carried me to the summit party.
Ground squirrels scurry around the summit, hoping for a morsel of food from tired climbers. I must mention though, you should not feed the critters as people food is normally not good for them.
Steven W. Krull is a renowned photographer and author who has been photographing and writing of the beauty and wildlife of the Colorado Rocky Mountains for over two decades. Please visit his website at S.W. Krull Imaging to view his work, including thousands of prints for sale, stock images for commercial use, and his library of published books.
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Colorado Photographer / Author / Wildlife Advocate | Steven W. Krull 