Firefighters climb Manitou Incline in honor of the fallen on September 11th

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Firefighters from crews across Colorado gathered at the base of the Manitou Incline Friday and stared upward, reminded of the tragic sight that firefighters in New York City saw as they looked up toward the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

The group is in full gear, ascending the outdoor steps on the side of Mt. Manitou to honor the firefighters who made the grueling climb up flights of stairs to rescue others from the Twin Towers.

Hundreds of firefighters never made it back on that day.

"We feel your pain," said RJ Gerry with the Cheyenne Mountain Fire Department. "We're carrying on the traditions, we're symbolically finishing this climb for them."

Gerry is the organizer of the event, which has taken place at the Incline for five years.

But this is his last year making the climb. He has orders to head to New Jersey, but his hope is that the tradition in Manitou continues for years to come.

"Their loss and their sacrifice will never be forgotten, and it's our job to pass this tradition on down to our younger guys so they know the importance of it," said William Wailgum with the Cheyenne Mountain Fire Department.

Wailgum and Gerry climbed alongside younger firefighters, some of whom were only young children when 9/11 occurred. But they tell us the camaraderie is especially important today, given the dangers that countless firefighters on the West Coast and in northern Colorado are facing.