The Incline

Matt and I decided to tackle the Incline on Sunday afternoon. The "Manitou Incline" is a .9 mile grade up the side of a mountain. It is often referred to as the "scar" of Pike's Peak as it can see it from quite far away. Here's a pic of what it looks like from the highway:

And another pic from Manitou Springs:

The Incline as it exists now is the roadbed to the former Mount Manitou Scenic Incline Railway-a cable car that took people up the eastern face of the Rocky Mountain to about 8,600 feet before shutting down in 1990. The steepest section is at a grade of 68% with the average grade just over 40%. (http://www.inclineclub.com/incline/)

Many people hike the Incline for exercise, some even run up it and then run down Barr Trail to the bottom. Olympic athletes have been known to use the Incline as part of their conditioning as well. I can only imagine if you were in that good of shape at such a high elevation how well you could perform at sea level. This is also part of the reason that the Olympic Training Center was built in Colorado Springs.

At the Barr Trail parking lot, where you can get on the Incline, it started raining as you can see on the car! I thought "Uh-Oh." But then, minutes later it cleared up and the sun was shining again.

There's even a little bathroom at the bottom so you can be all set to go for your hike!

Here I am at the bottom of the incline:

And this is what awaits us!

Getting steeper

Oh Dear! The elevation increases so rapidly because you are going up such a steep grade that sometimes you feel a little dizzy and weak. I would not want to topple backwards down these railway ties with rusted stakes poking out!

Matt and I thought we should try it ourselves to see if it would be a fun option to hike with Mark & Rosie if they come out here this summer. We found out from some other hikers during our trek, that about halfway up, you can get off at Barr Trail (the trail that takes you 11 miles all the way up to Pike's Peak) and go back down to the bottom on a more leisurely 2 mile hike. By the time we got there...we opted for that avenue! But do intend to do the whole hike
in the future...maybe when Mark & Rosie visit :)

Here is where you can hop on Barr Trail...which we gladly took. Matt hydrating with the Camelbak that his dad is letting him try out to see if he should get one! After this trip...we decided we need one!

Looking up at what is left to hike...

Looking down at what we accomplished. (It almost looks flat at the bottom part...it did not feel flat coming up it!)

A couple shots on our hike down.

Once again, crazy weather change. It hailed for about 30 seconds and got a bit chilly at this part. But then of course, sun came out again and it got warm!

It was kind of fun to go down this trail because it made me remember when I came up it to the top of Pike's Peak when I was out here 4 1/2 years ago. I can't wait to do that hike again with Matt!

Hydrating at the end of our hike! It was definitely a good time...and a nice workout,
my sore leg muscles are thanking me for it today.

NFL Treat from Dad & Mom Witt

When Dad & Mom Witt bought a new television they got this great deal where they also were given an NLF.COM gift card. Being the ever-giving parents they are, they passed them on to their football crazed sons, Matt & Mark. With our (what's mine is his, and his is mine, right?) half of the gift card, we got these awesome old school Eagles shirts!

We love them! And thought you might like to see what they looked like, Mom. Matt says that you will see them in person on Opening Day when we are in Indy...which we are excited to watch on the TV that made it all possible!

Thanks again! Your generosity is much appreciated. It was so nice to shop online and not have to pay for what was in our shopping cart :)

My New Computer

The long awaited day has finally come! I got my new computer in the mail last Friday. Since I required a little bit more motivation (to pay off debt) than my lovely bride, we determined I needed a prize to shoot for. My old computer crashed last summer, so a laptop it was. I really wanted to buy a new computer last winter after I sold mine for parts on Ebay, but we decided to wait until we were debt free. Delayed gratification never felt better.

I admit I was a little excited.

Sonya: A little excited???

Sonya doesn't entirely understand the implications of my new computer. That is why I am writing this blog post, and not her.

She did however capture some nice pictures. Like this one above with my smiling face reflecting off the HD screen.
(Okay, I admit-I put this comment in, not Matt!) :)

Yeah. Anyway, for the other computer nerds out there. These are the specs:

HP HDX16t Premium Series customizable Notebook PC (Product Demo)

• Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
• Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor P7450 (2.13GHz)
• 4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
  
• 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
  
• 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
• 16.0" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView Infinity Display (1366x768)
• Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
• Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Fluid)
• Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth
• HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner
• Full Size Backlit Keyboard
• One 6 Cell and One 12 Cell Lithium Ion Batteries
  

Pictured above is the backlit keyboard (I had to be cool like Nicole). Following the theme of copying Nicole, it came with a remote that fits in the PCI expansion slot. When I received the package I was also surprised by a larger, full-feature remote. And to not be shown up by Courtney, it has the finger swipe security feature as well. I have really enjoyed getting to play around with my new toy, and discover all I can do with it. I can't wait to record football games with the TV tuner.

I was actually able to save a couple hundred (thanks mom) on this computer that I was not planning on. Needless to say, I feel very spoiled right now. It is amazing to me how much God has blessed us. So much so that I feel like we don't even deserve it.

I am also very thankful for my wife (who is amazing by the way) for her sacrifices along the way. She has been very supportive & encouraging while I was in school, as well as beginning my career. She really helped keep me focused on achieving our goal of paying off my loans.