THE INCLINE KEEPS ADDING ADDICTS...

Way to go my Keith! What an athlete mentality!
Time: 38 minutes

Quite Eventful Sunday: Complete and intens morning session, Incline hiking, "bear" attack going down on the barr trail, and then Princess super tantrum...What else can one ask for the first October's Sunday?

LA MEVA PETITA MÀQUINA

Ahir diumenge vaig fer l'Incline amb una acompanyant molt especial. La més especial de totes.
El plan era arribar a la meitat, fer un descans/pic-nic i tirar avall pel cami de muntanya. Va ser ella que va dir que volia arribar fins adalt, i així ho vem acabar fent. La baixada va ser llarga, ja que és un camí que envolta la muntaya en zig-zag, fins arribar abaix.
Crec que avui ha sigut el seu primer dia amb agulletes. Benvingudes, i que en vinguin moltes més.
Molt bé carinyo meu!

PRINCIPI DE L'INCLINE. CARTELL PER EVITAR DEMANDES...

...PUJANT

HA FET EL CIM!

SE'M CAU LA BABA!!!

CAMÍ DE BAIXADA

THE MANITOU INCLINE...OUR SECOND TIME

Self picture

Rachel, one minute ahead

Self picture

At the bottom of Barr Trail


We were a smaller crowd today. Rachel and I went up to the Incline, with the purpose of improving our time from last Sunday. My personal goal was not to stop once, and then take the Barr Trail down running. Mission accomplished!

It took Rachel 35 minutes to reach the top, and it took me 36 minutes. Last week it took us 55 minutes to climb it.

It is very interesting to talk to the people at the top of the Incline. Most of us take a nice break, before taking any of the routs down to the town. Most likely you end up striking a conversation with somebody, just like we did today with a 74 year old man from Great Britain (...I want to be like him when I grow up), and a father with his highschooler son.
Cool people up there. Both times I have met people at the top who are in great shape, body and mind wise.
I am telling you! The Incline creates addiction. I cannot wait until next Sunday.

SUNDAY WORKHSHIP: THE MANITOU INCLINE

Today two of my most athletic dancers and I went to hike the famous Manitou Incline. It is a 2,000 vertical feet in 1 mile trail(6000 vertical meters, in 1600 meters trail) with the steepest grade at 68%, all full of steps of various heights. They really aren't steps but old railroad ties and some of them are missing.
The Manitou Incline, the most popular, and illegal, trail in the region, took us 55 minutes going up, Aja and I took 35 minutes to get down, while Rachel took only about 20 minutes.
Going up your lung capacity suffers, going down is a complete different story. It is a constant balance-check, plenty of close calls because of the very slippery terrain. It is all loose sand, little rocks and pebbles, metal tubes crossing the path, and its steepness doesn't make it easier.
It is definitely not recommended if you have bad knees, weak quads or are afraid of heights. Our legs felt like jelly at the end, from all the going down, fighting gravity with our legs, while trying to stay balanced.
It was a very challenging but also fulfilling Sunday workout. Thanks girls!

The hair thin, straight up line on the mountain, is the tough Manitou Incline

Far away view of the Incline


Uneven steps

Middle section of the Incline

At the bottom, ready to start!

Aja and Rachel at the beginning...we didn't know yet how hard it was going to get!

Almost at the top

Ufffff! I made it!!!!!!!!!

Finally at the top. We made it together. Congrats dancers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!