Inclined?

We have had an exchange student staying with us temporarily (since before Christmas, actually, but that's fodder for another blog post...), and she is flying home next week. For a last Colorado hurrah, I took her, a couple of friends, and dd10 up the Manitou Springs Incline. Two thousand feet up an irregular staircase, covered in snow and slush in places where the sun doesn't shine enough. And we made it! It took two hours, but we did it. Here's the view from the top:

Manitou Springs Incline looking down from the top

Walking down the Barr Trail (if one goes up it far enough, one gets to the top of Pike's Peak) back to the car was harder than anticipated due to slushy, slippery conditions. It took us two more hours. But it was still a safer choice for us than going back down the Incline due to the Incline's steepness and slipperiness. I bought the exchange student and dd10 T-shirts in the gift shop by the parking lot to commemorate their accomplishment.