Tag Archives: 1000 Steps

Coming back down

10 Thursday Nov 2016

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It was time to come back down the 1000 steps.  And so we worked out way back down the steps – one by one.

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Let’s just say these steps are like the steps in your home.  These are steps made out of stone.  When they get wet, they are slippery and dangerous.  Even dry they can be dangerous – you have to watch where you are going.

You’d think going down would be easier – well it is in some ways, but it’s still a good work on going down.  Regardless, another successful hike up the 1000 steps and back down again.

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Other stuff you see on top of the hill

09 Wednesday Nov 2016

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When you are up on a hill, you get to see some things up close and personal.

Things like some birds of prey in their natural ways – soaring in the air against a clear blue sky.

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You also come across long abandoned structures.

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Can you imagine the conversation that went on years ago about how important this wall was and how it just had to be done by a certain deadline? And now what is it?  Just fodder for children to play with as their imaginations run wild.

So often the things that we think are important, really just aren’t.  They are just a pile of rocks.

1000 Steps…Again

07 Monday Nov 2016

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While we were at the cabin by Lake Raystown, we went to a favorite location – 1000 steps.

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We really like climbing up the steps.  It’s a good workout and you get a great view at the top.

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But let me be clear – this is not an easy hike.  It’s a lot of work actually.  But great a great workout.

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As you climb, you get to see some neat things too – like piles upon piles of rocks.  Can you even fathom how many rocks there are on this hill?

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The picture above is looking up.  There’s no end to the amount of rocks.

But nothing makes you happier than when you reach this step:

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Of course, this isn’t the last step, but you know you’re really close to being done.

In Honor of Labor Day, USA – 1000 Steps

07 Monday Sep 2015

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Today is Labor Day in the US.  It honors all working people for their labors.  It’s also a day of rest from our labors.

To honor this, I decided to go somewhere near where we live that was built from hard labor – 1000 Steps.

There’s an incredible history to these steps:

There are actually 1,043 steps in the Thousand Steps Trail. They were created in 1936 as a means of transportation to work for the miners high up on the mountain. I don’t know what anyone else thinks, but having done this climb I think it is pretty incredible that this was the morning and evening commute everyday for the men who worked up on the mountain. Quite a commute!

Source – Jacks Mountain

Read the whole page for more interesting nuggets of information.

Now on to my journey up the 1000 steps.

1000 StepsFirst step – getting there.  I drove about 45 minutes along beautiful Rt. 22.  It cuts through some gorgeous farm land and up and over mountains.  It’s quite a beautiful road.  When you finally do find the entrance, you’ll be a bit surprised – The parking is not well-marked – I figured out it was the parking area because a whole bunch of vehicles were parked along the side of the road.  Then a lovely climber helped point me in the right direction.

1000 StepsThe picture above is pretty much what the 1000 steps are all about.  It’s climbing, up hill the whole way.  It’s actually quite amazing when you think about the fact that workers created these steps, after working all day, to make their journey easier.

I wanted to run up the steps as part of my training for a half marathon.  I heard that it can take over an hour for people to walk up the steps.  Running would be faster, but really hard work.  And it was.  I took many breaks along the way.

1000 StepsWhen you see this step, it’s a glorious feeling.  You know you are almost to the top.  Someone, some time ago decided to mark each 100 steps off.  I’m glad they did because it feels like you just climb for ever.

But then you get to the top and bam – you get your reward:

1000 StepsIt doesn’t get much prettier than that.

1000 StepsComing back down the 1000 steps was fun too – I ran down those, without a break.  But they are a bit treacherous at places, so it’s best to use caution.

Overall – 1000 Steps is well worth the hike (or run if you are crazy enough to do it).