Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
You’ve seen the stairways that emerge from dense foliage on our steep West Seattle hillsides. Perhaps you’ve wondered where they lead or descend to; perhaps you’ve even climbed some of them. Our staircases can be at once daunting and convenient. It’s a steep slope from California Avenue to 44th Avenue SW near Hamilton Viewpoint, but those stairs, all 78 of them, provide you with easy pedestrian access from one road to the other and eliminate the need to wander blocks out of your way.
Bob Estep knows those steps, and many more. He is a walker — up to 6 miles per day. Inspired by a recent article in the Seattle Times (WSB citywide-news partner) about an architect who mapped the staircases on Queen Anne Hill, Bob thought, “Why don’t I do that for West Seattle?”
And so, he has.
Bob is finishing up a map and legend that shows the locations of West Seattle’s 27 public stairways (that’s a total of 1,983 steps) and the number of steps of each. Our longest staircase is on Thistle Street, westbound from Northrop (map), boasting 360 steps. Our shortest staircase runs between Avalon and Manning streets by Luna Park Café and features 12 steps — which seems somewhat more manageable.
Bob says that he’d give the physical condition of the staircases an overall grade of “C,” noting that there aren’t any he would describe as dangerous or recommend that people avoid. He adds, “They’re better than our sidewalks.” He points out that, like the stairways on Queen Anne Hill, a number of our railings are supported by risers made from the old trolley tracks that ran along California Avenue. In fact, the retaining wall along the south slope of Admiral Way is also supported by recycled trolley tracks.
Bob is a lifelong West Seattleite and walker. He notes that his family lived on Queen Anne Hill very briefly when he was a child and he and his siblings would walk from the area of the radio towers to Magnolia Bluff to swim. During World War II, Bob had a paper route in the North Admiral area. Because he’s been in West Seattle so long, and out and about so much, he pretty much knew where to find the staircases.
It follows that Bob would find something interesting to incorporate into his physical activity. He works out at the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) three times a week, plays volleyball, has done the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure several times, and each year he rides his bicycle one mile for each year he’s been alive. A few years ago when he turned 76, he figured he “might as well just ride 80 miles.” He rides from the Alki Lighthouse to Redmond and back.
Bob is finalizing his stairway map, and will make it available when it’s finished.
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