climbing stairs

If I'm seriously thinking about doing one of those stair climbs. I need to find larger buildings locally to practice in. And of various ages. Stair rises change from building to building, especially in old ones. No standardization prior to what, maybe 1960?

Last Thursday I had to go downtown to the Williams Visual Arts Center to deliver something to one of the professors. It's a the base of campus.  There are stairs which go from behind Keefe dorms, around the Civil War Statue (no that is not Lafayette!)  to the Alumni Arch on 3rd Street. As I finished my descent, in heels,  I noticed that the sign I designed was on "The Spot", the student nightclub. I didn't have my handbag, so no camera. I vowed I'd return today.

So today I went downtown again. Back down the Alumni stairs in heels again. At one time there was about 199 big, chunky limestone or slate stairs, now there's only about 90. A few years ago, I think when they opened WVAC  they ripped some out and put paths in, for safety, I guess. Damn those paths are steep climbing up. I'd rather have stairs. Today, I took the longer path down, and it's the steepest of all. It took so much energy to "brake" going down.  I thought I was walking at a 20 degree angle!
The first picture is my sign. The second is the Civil War Monument. In the mid-ground  in Rt. 22 and behind that is center square Easton. The peace candle is in the center of the square. The last picture is of the Alumni Arch and stairs from 3rd Street and College Hill. The other is of my sign.

Later today I hope to do my typical 6 flights at Acopian. I should really do the five flights in the old section of the building. They are much different, smaller, and steeper that the "new" ones. And I should also try the ones in Pardee again. They are knee-torturers.

A walking challenger dare of sorts...

Sunday I received this message in an email:

" I'd be curious what you'd think of this little 'walk.' (At Lafayette College) Go down to Simon Center, inside all the way down to L3 in the basement, then up and out and up the hill to Pardee, then to the fourth floor across the fourth floor and back down."

Seemed easy to me. I've been to the Simon Center and up the long front stairs of Pardee. That little hill is at a 65 degree angle!

So I emailed the colleague I walk with at lunchtime and asked if she was game. She said sure.

Then on Labor Day I received the second email. "This little hill kills me every time I go to class. I normally leave Farinon and rush down the hill. Not the steps, the grass. (no doubt in 3-4 inch heels) My class is in L3 which is way down. Two floors down. With split stairwells. After class today, I had to go to the fourth floor of Pardee, so I left the basement of Simon and climbed the steps on the little hill, went in the middle doors to Pardee, swung left, went up to the fourth floor (and seriously wanted to die) "

Tuesday we did it. We climbed the stairs out of Watson Hall, crossed the Quad at a rapid pace, went around Pardee and down the stairs to Simon. Then we had to find the stairs to the basement. it only went one floor down. I though L3 meant that Simon had 3 sub-basements like the Linderman Library at Lehigh.

So we began the challenge up the stairs from the basement of Simon, up the stairs to Pardee, and thru the lobby to the staircase. That's when things got interesting. The steps are narrow and they are steep. I do six flights at ACE easier. I was breathing hard and moving slower when I reached the top. My colleague has 20 stairs in front of her home, then a 3 story house. She was breathing hard also. Up was nothing compared to down. Don't take those stair if you have vertigo. We both used the banister.

So physically it wasn't as big of a challenge as I expected. But it was hard. But I think it had nothing to do with physical fitness. But more to do with 100 year old staircases being steep and narrow.

If you want to have fun climbing, try the ones to my sister Elin's basement or attic. I pity the furnace repair guy.