I have to be honest and say, I just don’t understand people getting tattoos of the Incline. But then, I don’t get most of the tats people get nowadays. Back in my time, I’m old, tattoos were mostly gotten by Military men and they had significant meaning, like being in a battle tested unit or a personal achievement like being a parachutist.
I know times have changed and people have too and it’s not my place to judge anyone’s values, unless of course they were going to marry my daughter!
After further reflection, I came to realize that the Incline draws an endlessly diverse range of people, all of them converging on this hill from a different point in their lives. Each with their own reason for challenging the mountain and each will have their own poignant moment when they reach the top. Some will quietly cherish the accomplishment, some will now have some more bragging rights, and some will have little stairways inked onto their skin.
Sorry about the tat meme again, I can’t help it. Seriously I do not mean to belittle anyone, I read all sorts of reasons why folks are here, from heartbreaks to celebrations, to injury rehab, to battling cancer or addiction and every other debilitating disorder.
If you came in celebration, I wish you a lifetime of happiness, if you are battling demons’ I wish you strength, you’ve already got that if you’ve climbed 2768. If you came searching for something, I hope what you find will give your life direction.
If you’re one of the health nuts that do the incline on a regular schedule, or a group of guys or gals who think it will be great fun, or a family trying to do something together, good on all of you. It’s great to do something that is a challenge.
My story, the incline came to my attention on a FB feed, probably because I travel to New Mexico each summer. With no team required it was it my kind of personal challenge. I told myself I have to do that and in 2023 I made my pilgrimage to the top. I was 74 years old at the time. Spurred on by my success I started training for a bike rally, I needed to be able to do 35 miles in 3 hours (on gravel trail) to qualify. That’s when I found out I have very little Cartlidge in one of my knees.
At the turn of the calendar to 2025 I was now approaching 76 and I have been doing ok with my worn knee. I use a compression brace whenever I do most physical activity. I have been going to the gym regularly and started thinking, I want to do the incline again. While staying in the northern New Mexico mountains I started hiking to acclimate my one foot above sea level lungs to my present 8000 foot environs.
There’s a little back story here, Here in New Mexico when I look out my window I see a fairly good sized mountain and I’ve long wondered what it looked like on the top. So, this one morning I chose a hiking path that passed the base of the mountain. So, I’m walking along checking out possible portages up the mountain. Suddenly I stopped. There it was, my path up the mountain. It was mostly 45 degrees up a dirt and loose rock incline for about 800 feet. Then there was the vertical rock cliff at the top 200 feet, I didn’t have a plan for that yet but I figured I’d find my way once I got up there.
I made it to the top, found what I estimated was the high point, stood on a rock and took a picture of my feet. Like the Manitou incline the return was longer and much more complex than the accent. I actually enjoyed the challenge, my wife not so much. She had called me because I had been gone so long and wanted to know if I needed rescuing.
My success on Bear Mountain (local name) rekindled my need to reclimb the Manitou incline. I don’t really know why, I met the challenge on the first climb, maybe after my knee problems I just wanted to prove I could do it again. Maybe I’m just trying to deny that I am aging and will never have all the adventures I dreamt about in my youth.
June 10 2025 at about 7 am I was once again standing at step number one of the Manitou incline. Two years older now but even at 76 I thought I was in better physical shape than in 2023. I knew it was going to be a long slow accent for me. I paced myself, took occasional breaks, stayed hydrated and in about two and a half hours I once again felt the joy of stepping on 2768. (There are 2768 steps on the incline)
Unlike my first trip when I was in pain during the descent, I enjoyed all three miles of the Barr trail . My knee’s held up well, my thigh muscles didn’t complain as much as they did on the last time. The mountain scenery is majestic, it was a good day!
I don’t think I’ll be back, but who knows. I’m looking at some interesting Rail Trails I would like to try, so that’s next on my adventure list. First, I need to find a good Tattoo artist! lol
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