Man shovels entire Manitou Incline in free time

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Take a drive down any street in Manitou Springs, and you're likely to see someone shoveling their driveway. Walk up to the first step of the Manitou Incline, and you may just see Gary Martinez Jr. doing the same on all 2768 steps.

"It was just a goal of mine to shovel all the steps," Martinez said. "I get kind of distracted because I know I'm doing something that's productive."

Martinez shoveled every. Single. Step. He started before 4 a.m. Monday morning and hacked at it for seven hours. Wednesday, he brought his son, a brand-new 16-pound ice pick, and KRDO 13 along to work at it some more.

"Hiking this incline when I do, it's more of a therapeutic feeling for me. It just feels good in so many ways," Martinez said.

"That’s so generous. It gives me such faith in humanity,” said Luke Mannikus, who climbed the incline for the first time while visiting relatives for the Holidays. "I'm also just so impressed that people are willing to come up here and not only do the physical work of walking this huge elevation but also, shoveling with their arms, not only their legs."

Martinez said he was inspired by others who shovel and clean the incline on their own time. He said the steps are more of a community than a simple climb, and it's one he's happy to be a part of.

"When I have some of that free time to spare, I want to come back here, and give back to a trail that gives a lot to the people," Martinez said.

KRDO 13's Bradley Davis went up about halfway with the pair as they picked and shoveled the steps.