So a friend said, 'lets do the incline in Manitou while you are here'.. I said sure, what is the incline...then I almost died that day.
A mile of up up up. Did pretty well for the first half. Then had to crawl up for parts of it.. At the top he says 'you have to smoke a bowl with me, lemon diesel'. To which I did not. They would have had to life flight me out if I had. LOL

Anyone who has done this knows what I am talking about. Our time was 1:10.

A real man stands behind what he says.

LegalGrow said:

So a friend said, 'lets do the incline in Manitou while you are here'.. I said sure, what is the incline...then I almost died that day.
A mile of up up up. Did pretty well for the first half. Then had to crawl up for parts of it.. At the top he says 'you have to smoke a bowl with me, lemon diesel'. To which I did not. They would have had to life flight me out if I had. LOL

Anyone who has done this knows what I am talking about. Our time was 1:10.

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When I eventually visit the US, this has to be a day on the cards. Epic challenge and such a rewarding doob at the top.

@welsh, right on. I have been to 35 states and from what I have seen Colorado ranks at the very top and would be a great place for you to visit. Just get outside of Denver and into some of those great mountains.
IMO the only place that rivals for a visit would be the RedWood forest in Northern Cal / Oregon.. spectacular place and lots of hippies in the grants pass area. :)

I have been as close to you as London and Paris, and will never return to paris.. But London was nice.

LegalGrow said:

So a friend said, 'lets do the incline in Manitou while you are here'.. I said sure, what is the incline...then I almost died that day.
A mile of up up up. Did pretty well for the first half. Then had to crawl up for parts of it.. At the top he says 'you have to smoke a bowl with me, lemon diesel'. To which I did not. They would have had to life flight me out if I had. LOL

Anyone who has done this knows what I am talking about. Our time was 1:10.

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Once you get used to altitude you could huff all the way up...Be fun.. Ready, set, GO.. Must huff 2 fatties on the way up and 3 on way down..Best time get a free zip of rec pot.. LOL...

LegalGrow said:

@welsh, right on. I have been to 35 states and from what I have seen Colorado ranks at the very top and would be a great place for you to visit. Just get outside of Denver and into some of those great mountains.
IMO the only place that rivals for a visit would be the RedWood forest in Northern Cal / Oregon.. spectacular place and lots of hippies in the grants pass area. :)

I have been as close to you as London and Paris, and will never return to paris.. But London was nice.

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The way I am, we will probably start off in Banff up in Alberta and head down Wash St. Oregon, Colorado, then a bit of Cali. Very vague plan at the moment, starting to put the funds away. You guys live in true bliss out there.

London is grim pal, maybe nice as a visit but cant stand the metropolis lifestyle, up in the Welsh Hills is where it's at :)

Come on out and we will go pay a visit to my Friend Joe Cocker...Banff is awesome.. Lake Louise, Glacier National park, Yellowstone, epic...

LegalGrow said:

So a friend said, 'lets do the incline in Manitou while you are here'.. I said sure, what is the incline...then I almost died that day.
A mile of up up up. Did pretty well for the first half. Then had to crawl up for parts of it.. At the top he says 'you have to smoke a bowl with me, lemon diesel'. To which I did not. They would have had to life flight me out if I had. LOL

Anyone who has done this knows what I am talking about. Our time was 1:10.

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Shit. They make helicopters for that now, you know...

The incline in Manitou used to be a hidden gem for training. It is now a veritable hot spot of hipsters, yuppies, hippies, Olympic athletes, and high schoolers playing hooky. My buddy and I used to hit it up about twice a week. Try it with a hangover!!

Hell, I do hikes like that in sub-zero temps and feet of snow, wearing all my gear and carrying my board.

Staircases are for tourists!

outwest

outwest said:

Hell, I do hikes like that in sub-zero temps and feet of snow, wearing all my gear and carrying my board.

Staircases are for tourists!

outwest

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Dont get me wrong man, I'd love to bring my Burton but that aint gonna happen and I'll be lapping up this touristy shizzle while baked. Your place needs to be appreciated man

It's a great climb for sure, but I think it would be better without the man-made steps. ;) Manitou Springs is a good vibe area for sure.

@outwest "Staircases are for tourists!" No way, Elevators are for tourists! lol.

Beauty is all around....This is fairly close to home..... and is one serious "Staircase".....whether you be a local OR a tourist.

From a trip take here http://ctochimes.wordpress.com/category/road-trip/page/4/ (there are some other great hikes on this page, FYI)

"As we hiked along, the trail continued to get steeper and steeper until we found ourselves switch backing to the top of a ridge. We were so close we could feel it! As the last section changed from switch backs into a more direct approach we had no choice but to press on. Once on top we knew it was all downhill from here (literally). As we walked further the ridge got narrower. I started to get excited! This was it, where the trail gets its name! And there it was, right in front of me, a jagged, narrow ridge no more that 3-4 feet wide with a significant drop off on either side. So worth the hike up!"

outwest said:

Hell, I do hikes like that in sub-zero temps and feet of snow, wearing all my gear and carrying my board.

Staircases are for tourists!

outwest

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Colorado residents are the country's least overweight. Here's why;

I may have to skip the Niners game on Sunday and hit the hills. Haven't puffed above 13,000ft in a month.

altitude- do it! I thought THAT was why we live here.

My best friend and I did the incline...OMGee! I thought I would try running up the stairs and then couldn't even make it to the top. I was heaving halfway thru it and I was trying to show off my athletic skills haha.

Hiking anywhere in our Colorado mountains can almost always guarantee a scenic route and amazing views.

Lucky to live in the country with a lot of long time residents. Coal miners, farmers, hippies, a few Mexicans, who I get along with just fine, Mennonites, Pro Mitt Romney anti pot for the most part but a legendary area for some who grew very fine herb way back in the day.
Today we lost a neighbor who suffered a massive stroke. She must have been in her late 70s. She married into a family that has 4 generations living on the same road. This woman never once in her life had a bad word to say about anyone or anything.
the klan is amazing. her husband was a Olympian who did the Ski and Shoot thing in the winter Olympics during the cold war with Russia. He told me that they never let that effect them and both wished to be friends and he remained friends with them for many years.
There were 4 different families. when we first moved here and had no garden we would purchase incredible organic vegetables and fruits from this little middle age gal who did it all Annie was her name. dawn to past dark she would work the fields growing amazing organic veggies. Her Cantaloupe were the very best in Colorado and at the farmers market folks would swamp her just as the truck pulled in.
Her husband was a pioneer in organic farming, peaches, cherries, plumbs, apples, they did it all.
She would clear rocks from the fields, take care of her kids and husband always busy but cheery and happy.
she suffered a stroke as well around 6 years or so and was put in a home, when I visited it just broke my heart. she did return home for the last few years and lived pretty well but not the same.
She died last summer.
My neighbor john and his wife have been married 57 years. John and I are real buds. He will do anything in the world for me as I would him. he is 78 still rides around on his 4 wheeler chasing his cows. I can make that fella double over slapping his knee with laughter over the silliest things. I love this man. We have Sunday dinners and the stories come out non stop.
We all keep pretty much to ourselves but if someone needs help so many will be there for you or likewise we come and help.
Last time we got together was when Annie died at the local grange hall. pot luck supper. Had a blast, more of a celebration than a funeral. So many down to earth folks, all different but all the same. We have one thing in common that we all do agree upon is that our little area is incredibly special. I knew it the second I steeped foot here on this property.
I always miss out on local social events cause iam just too high... LOL...just kidding, just too tired to attend.
from now on that's going to change sucks to get together just when some one passes.
Also lately I have just been incredibly overwhelmed by simply looking around at where I have ended up. Never in my wildest of dreams would I have thought I would end up here.
I plan on becoming much more part of this wonderful community by setting up a network of volunteers to help each other, am hosting a benefit for the local fire dept.
I owe a lot, this pace saved my life by replacing the need to guzzle down beer after beer after beer.. after beer after beer, I drank a lot.
best of all I have earned respect, way cool for someone who is a drunk if they drink.
I feel so blessed to be amongst folks like these......Life is good being a Colorado person.......

Good neighbors are something many people have never experienced, CM. The respect you hold for such people and the way they live is a testament for the way you (both) have chosen to live as well. Most people have never experienced and will never experience the ways of "country living". We've only owned our new place less than 6 months and we know we walked into a similar situation as you describe. I've only known these folks for 6 months but if I needed em they would come without hesitation and they know that I would do the same for them. Hope all is well.