Around the Pikes Peak region, families awoke bright and early to start their Thanksgiving by burning calories.

In Manitou Springs, parking lots overflowed with hikers looking to start their morning by climbing the 2,744-step Incline. But there was some extra sweet motivation.

Brothers Ryan and Jared Klimek and friend Tom Lowry hosted their fourth “Caffeinated Climb,” sharing free doughnuts and coffee at the top of the trail. The group of guys organized the first event in 2021, inspired while on the top of the Spanish Peaks for Veterans Day.

“We were like, ‘Wow, what would really be great right now is a cup of hot coffee right now,’” Lowry said. So, they went to Costco, bought some treats and coffee, carried everything to the top and thus a tradition was born.

“How can we be kind on Thanksgiving? How can we do something that’s little while memorable?” Lowry recalled. “At the top of the Incline, no one expects you to get coffee, and that’s what we did. And it was really fun to see the surprise of everyone’s faces.”

The event has grown since its start. Now, the organizers work with a group of about 20 volunteers who help tote everything to the top, including French presses, gallons of water, coffee grounds and doughnuts — totaling around 260 pounds. Loyal Coffee supplies the group with coffee and cups, and this year, Dad’s Donuts donated 100 baked treats.

“I want to live where people just do random, fun things, kind of for no reason, that people will be surprised by and enjoy,” Ryan Klimek said.

For some, the promise of sweets and coffee is encouragement enough to try out the Incline for the first time — at least for local married couple Lindsey Dove and Robert Downs. The two, who have done the Turkey Trot 5K in previous years, decided to take on the challenge.

“We were sitting at a bar last night drinking some espresso martinis and saw the Instagram post about the doughnuts and coffee. And we’ve always been meaning to do it, and that was enough to draw us out,” Dove said. “Maybe we’ll make it our new tradition.”

For others, like Martin Martinez, the Incline is almost a part of his daily routine. His Thanksgiving climb marks his 268th ascent this year, bringing him one step closer to reaching his goal of 300 by the end of the year.

Martinez described the coffee and doughnuts at the top as “wonderful,” but now that he’s back down, it’s time to “go eat turkey.”