Perpendicular Trail

Felt lazy this morning, but still ended up going out and hiking the Perpendicular Trail in the middle of the day, basically because I had to drop a bunch of stuff off at the dump, and had recently hiked the other nearby trails. It felt hot out and I'm disappointed to admit I was rather sore for the rest of the day.

Technically, the Precipice is the closest thing to a truly perpendicular trail around here. This trail is more of a giant staircase. While not quite as grand as the Homan's Path, it is perhaps even more impressive in its way. It was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934 and is still in great shape.

"For over 170 vertical feet the CCC crew changed the entire face of the mountain. They re-stacked every boulder within twenty feet of the trail just to prepare for the laying of the treadway. The crew then placed a staircase that spirals across this modified area...The top stone forms a culvert that guides runoff away from the stairs.

Using only hand winches the trail crew laid sets of huge stairs bordered on each side by unusually large boulders and supported with a rough rock wall. They tried to make the trail seem as natural as possible...current photos show the treadway blending with the surroundings. The path builders succeeded so completely that even photographs blur the distinction between the treadway and its immediate natural environment."

from Trails of History, by Tom St. Germain and Jay Saunders

I can testify to the last part. From the bottom of this long, winding staircase, the whole thing just looks like a scree slope - a big pile of rocks. You wouldn't realize its a staircase if you weren't walking up it. It's a very impressive feat. I was tired at the top, sat down, and took this picture of the last few stairs. Then I messed around with it a bit just for fun.