For a few hours Wednesday morning, it seemed the ban announced last week on decorating a tree for the holidays at the top of the Manitou Incline had been reversed by the city of Colorado Springs.

Now, city officials say hikers might have been taken in by a hoax.

Early morning hikers on the popular endurance trail up the old tracks of the Pikes Peak Cog Rail saw a new notice posted on the tree in question, seemingly apologizing for and reneging on the decision to remove decorations. The notice was signed with the name and contact information of Scott Abbott, regional parks, trails and open space manager, and contained a City of Colorado Springs logo.

“…we apologize for taking down the decorations, and will no longer be doing so,” read the laminated notice posted on the tree.

Complicating the picture was a grey tub left at the trailhead labeled “Ornaments of the Incline” containing decorations taken off the tree. Some commenters on Incline social media groups took the sign and the ornaments as a reversal of the decision.

However, a parks spokesperson released a statement later on Wednesday that said the letter was fake.

“We appreciate the community’s understanding of the recent removal of decorations on the tree at the Manitou Incline. The city of Colorado Springs did not post a notice permitting decorations, and we want to reaffirm our commitment to the “Leave No Trace” principles, which guide our efforts to protect our natural resources. As such, we do not allow decorations or lights on the trees. Thank you for doing your part to help preserve the beauty and integrity of our environment,” the statement read.

The decision to take down decorations on the tree has been a point of controversy for fans of the Incline, with some mourning the loss of the years-long tradition. The city has said decorations like lights and ornaments could be detrimental to the environment and local wildlife.

The hoax notice is the third posted on the tree since the decision: the first was a letter from the city citing ordinances in the decision, the second was an anonymous note from “We the people of the Incline” promising to defy the ban. Since the decorations were taken down, a few have gone back up, according to hikers.

As for the tub of decorations, Incline frequenter Gary Martinez Jr. said they were likely left by fellow trail fans who collected them from the city to distribute back to owners.

“They worked it out with some of our hikers,” he said.

He said he and others were “still confused” about how to retrieve confiscated ornaments, but that he was willing to work with parks officials.

“I just want to help the city do what they wanted us to do,” he said.

A city spokesperson said that remaining decorations from the tree could be retrieved from the Parks Administration building at 1401 Recreation Way. The spokesperson also said the tub of decorations at the trailhead was likely left by hikers.

Martinez, who hikes the Incline once or twice a week, said that he understood environmental concerns but would prefer that the city worked out a compromise on the tradition. For now though, the ban isn’t going to bring him down.

“Either way, when we’re hiking up there we’re in good spirits,” he said.