(COLORADO SPRINGS) — It started as a crazy idea and became a yearly Thanksgiving tradition. The “Caffeinated Climb” is a celebration of big ideas and community, and the 5th annual climb is taking place Thanksgiving Morning, Thursday, Nov. 27, at the top of the Manitou Incline.
Co-founders and brothers Ryan and Jared Klimek joined FOX21 Morning News to talk about how this event got started and how it’s grown over the years. “We were on a hike with some friends, and we were kind of just joking about ‘wouldn’t it be crazy if somebody was at the top handing out donuts and coffee?’” said Ryan. “And then we started thinking about it more and were like, what if we could do this at the top of the Manitou Incline?” A few weeks later, they did just that, and the yearly tradition was born, and each year they serve more and more. Last year, they estimated they served around 250 people.
“The first year we kind of thought it was impossible, and then we proved that we can do it, and then more and more people have been showing up, so we’ve been carrying up more and more supplies for it,” said Ryan. “At this point, it’s hundreds of pounds of water and camp stoves and all this coffee, and this year we’ll have over 200 donuts. It’s a lot of weight, but it’s so fun to see the surprise and joy on people’s faces when they get to the top, and you hand them a cup of coffee or a donut.”
“Now we have some people who come up and are expecting it, returners,” said Jared. “There are some people have come every single year, and that’s so fun to see,” said Jared…