Engineers and construction workers have combined to make the way sturdy and even. The builders of this structure would have climbed a narrow, twisted path or steps constructed of dirt with perhaps a little wood added.
After all, construction a thousand years ago proceeded at a slower pace. A large rectangular mound for ceremonies was not built in a year, or even one generation. Like the great cathedrals of Europe, the Native Americans took their time and left imposing structures with the materials provided by nature.
This is not the first long set of outdoor steps I’ve climbed. My first impression of the large, public buildings in Washington, DC as a young child was steps. I attended a university where ninety-nine steps connected the dorms and dining hall of upper campus with the classrooms, labs, and library of lower campus. Once, and only once, I followed the trail which included some concrete steps to the crest of Diamond Head. This happens to be the most recent climb I’ve made.
