Date: 3/31/2012
Who: Sammy and myself
Length: 7 miles (3.5 out + 3.5 back)
Time: 4 hours
Weather: 45-78 degrees, clear
We stumbled across a bit of Colorado Springs history today. At the top of Cheyenne Mountain North, we found what remains of the Cheyenne Lodge. Back at home, I learned that it was a hotel and restaurant built by Spencer Penrose in 1925, along with a road for cars to reach it. It felt kind of eerie up there exploring the remnants of the Lodge. This site has some old postcard images. The Pikes Peak Library posted this promotional video from 1936. I wonder what it was like to stay there.
The MacNeill trail is a fine hiking trail. I bet it was named after Charles MacNeill, a partner of Spencer Penrose in the mining industry. I would like to hike the trail again sometime and take the Swisher trail up to the Cheyenne Mountain summit proper.
This hike followed the BLUE line:
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WOW! The postcards and video were interesting to view after being on top with you! I loved the clothes and hairstyles in the video, and seeing you in the crows nest also shown in the video. Thanks.
I like that you do the historical research to answer your curiosity, and the video was fun (Will Rogers’ shrine of the sun/granite tower? Is that still around?). I can imagine wanting to follow the pipes to find the end!
Also, I’ve noticed how connected the trails are, and see why you would want to take one trail after intersecting it with another hike previously.
Sometimes wish I lived right there so I could walk along with you. Proud of your hikes, and the effort to blog/share them; I really, really enjoy them!