Swemb Birt Day 3

 

Today was epic for me!  We hiked the Manitou Incline that heads up to Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs.  It is nearly 1 miles straight up on rail road ties.  It was painful, hard, and brutal for everyone.  I had no idea it was going to be as hard as it was; however, once we got to the top, it was worth every single 2,768 steps we had to take to get to the top.  Just incredible!  We had to hike down the 3 mile trail around the back of the mountain and that seemed to be harder than the actual climb.  In the end, every one was proud of themselves for making it to the top.

After we got down for the incline, we headed back to the hotel to take a shower and have lunch.  Then we headed over to visit Garden of the Gods, Edward's favorite location of the day, and then on to the top of Pikes Peak.  Driving up to Pikes Peak was unnerving because there weren't any guardrails and it felt as if we could drive off the side of the mountain at any point.  When driving down there was a break check to make sure our breaks weren't too hot halfway down.