Manitou Incline

I went on another "hike" recently. I think it's really half challenge half hike.

It was WAY to cold and rainy to sit by the pool as we planned so we decided to tackle the mountain. This is the start of the Manitou Incline in Colorado Springs (on the left). Doesn't look too bad from the bottom! The photo on the right is somewhere in the middle of the hike. It was so rainy, we didn't get our phones out much during the incline.

Our friend, who is in excellent shape, said she did the incline in 30 minutes. I think she is mistaken. World class athletes can do it in 25 minutes. I am sure she was fast, but I would plan on an hour to an hour and a half if you have a regular cardio routine (and up to 2.5 hours for then average hiker). We were passed a fair amount along the way up. I'd like to think all of those people were in the Air Force Academy or from the nearby Olympic Training Center. Though, most of the hikers looked like regular people who have done the trail before.

This is the top. Not much of a view! The incline rises 2000 feet over less than a mile. It doesn't sound like much, but my heart was beating out of my chest before too long.

It was too slippery for us to even consider taking the stairs back down. My recently broken foot has made me very cautious. The trail down is about 4 miles on a fairly well marked path.

We had some pretty views along the way down.

We weren't expecting the way down to be so long, but there were a fair amount of switchbacks. 

I think I was delirious at this point. These rocks looked so beautiful in my mind.

Here's the train for Pike's Peak that we took last year. I thought I had blogged about that journey, but maybe not.

It took us about 3 hours to do the round trip journey. I think under better conditions, we would have been faster. I'd like to come back in a year after I've rejoined my regular cardio routine to see if I could get a better time. 

Colorado Springs has so many interesting sites. I'm never disappointed with my visit to the area.

St. Mary's Glacier

I have my own Summer Bucket List. It doesn't have a lot of items on it, but one thing I really wanted to do was hike this summer. I thought maybe my hike at Mt. St. Helens would be all that I would do given the kids schedule this year. I was very happy that twins & I were able to join the boy scout hiking group this month. 

We visited St. Mary's Glacier near Idaho Springs. It took just under an hour and thirty minutes to arrive at the trailhead. The parking lot was a few miles past where Siri thought it was. You can't miss it along the main road. Be sure to bring $5 for parking. The entire hike is loose rocks so that was a challenge for me & my recovering foot.

We took our first water break about half way up. It was steep & the elevation is high, but even the four year old in our group made it. I was hoping the trail followed this nice somewhat flat path.

But, instead, you continue up!

It took us about 40 minutes to reach the lake - it's a great hike for beginners. Rocky was especially glad to see the water. He's never been a fan of swimming, but I think he would have tried today if he had been off leash.

The view at the lake is very beautiful. The lake is formed from the glacier run off. I tried to find information about this glacier. I always thought that a glacier accumulates snow & ice faster than it melts and that a glacier is always moving. But, wikipedia says this is a semi-permanent snow peak which sounds inconsistent with a "glacier". 

The kids had fun scrambling over the rocks & enjoying the area.

As we kept walking, the view kept improving.

As you can see, like everywhere I've been in Colorado, you are never alone. Greta & I stopped here for a while. 

Charlie's enthusiasm had faded.

Greta, Rocky & I wanted to touch the snow! Rocky really wanted to run & play with the other dogs.

The view was so amazing!

The rest of our group (less the 4 year old & his mom) kept going up the peak. But, I didn't trust my foot on the snow or loose rocks with Rocky. Next time!

Eventually, we coaxed Charlie into the snow.

The way down was not too bad. It took us about 30 minutes to get back to the parking lot. We left the trailhead about 9 & had no problem with parking. When we got back to our car at 10:30, the lot was totally full. Arrive early & enjoy.

May your holiday weekend be filled with great adventures!

Zippity Do Da

When we were in Durango, we took the crew zip-lining. One of my friends found a groupon to help make the experience more affordable. Along the hike to the first line, we encountered bear bones which was very exciting to our resident bearophile Ella. 

The worst part for the adults was the initial ladder climb & hanging out on the platforms.  Even though we were clipped in most of the time, it was still scary to be up so high on a platform that wiggled in the wind (not to mention when someone jumped on/off). I spent most of the time hugging a tree which made picture taking a little tricky. I debated bringing my good camera, but it would have been uncomfortable to have my big camera strapped to me (& I'm not sure they would have allowed it).

We were supposed to have extra guides on the trip to accommodate our large group, but supposedly someone didn't show up for work.  This meant our 2 hour trip took almost 5 hours - and we spent a lot of time just waiting on the platform which got really, really old.

As for the zipping, the kids took to it very quickly. It took the adults a few more runs. We did 6 runs in all. If the tour had gone on schedule, I think we would have added more. You need 1-2 runs to feel comfortable & then you can start doing being more adventurous - like free falling backwards or taking a running jump.

Our group ran from 4 years old (he did one solo zip) up to 60+.  Zipping itself is not very challenging. The hardest part was the steep hike & the ladder climb.  It was a fun family adventure - if it was more affordable, or someone else was paying, I would do it again.

Charlie was the first person to try the free fall. This was our second run when the adults were still trying to catch their breath and lower their heart rates. We were very impressed.

One Down

He's either a sandbagger or very excited about conquering the summer list.

Someone said he spent all day practicing & mastering the art of shoe tying.
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Summer Bucket List

The kids didn't have homework last night so they decided to tackle their summer bucket list (yeah end of school year!). This marks one year of making seasonal bucket lists. Last year, I wrote out the list, but now the kids prefer to do it themselves. I love seeing their handwriting & creative spelling!
We use a glass photo frame and sharpie markers (they erase with window cleaner), but any type of visual display will work. The kids love checking items off the list & having a visual reminder is great when we are trying to plan activities for the week.
Here is what the kids came up with this year:
Eat pizza (dinner) at the neighborhood pool Make a build-a-bear (someone's gift card is burning a hole in her pocket) See a movie Learn to tie shoes (Charlie) Get ears pierced (Ella) Zipline Tour Do a swimming race in Indiana Go on a hike Take pictures of playing with glow sticks at night Throw a party Geo "cashing" Make cookies Play tag Ride a tractor Host a water fight Go to Sea World Go to the pool Indoor Sky diving Family bike ride Get our nails done Go rollerskating Find an indoor trampoline  Massage for Mom & Dad Visit Dinosaur Ridge Visit Art Museum Play capture the flag Go to the beach
I helped the kids talk about what they want to do on their trips this summer, what they wanted to do with grandparents & their neighborhood friends. I did veto two proposals (joining a T ball team & going to Germany) because I knew it wasn't possible with our travel schedule. Otherwise, the kids had free reign - Charlie proposed massages for us.  I wouldn't have thought to include it, but it sounds very appealing! It's interesting to hear what stands out in their mind from last year & what they are looking forward to. My next project is to help the kids create a more traditional family life list where we can add a trip to Germany and other longer term goals.
About 18 months ago I attended a photography conference and met a lot of amazing people. One of the photographers hosts a great family blog. If you are looking for inspiration for your list or an online community to share your summer experience, come join the fun!

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