I made sure to hop on the stairmaster at the gym last weekend so that I will be ready for the annual South Side Slopes StepTrek. If you are an urban hiker or a hiker in gerneral this is an event for you. This is the annual fundraiser for the South Side Sloped neighborhood association.

The StepTrek is a well organized, self-guided tour (trek) up the city steps in the Southside Slopes neighborhood. I did the trek in 2005 and I would rank this as one of the best events I have attended.

Sunday October 14, Noon-4pm
Trek begins at the UMPC Lot at 21st and Josephine Streets.
More info and Online Registration: www.southsideslopes.org/steptrek/

Step Facts:

So, just how many steps are there?  Well, the city of Pittsburgh has 712 public stairways with a total of 44,645 steps.*  When tallied in full, they number 24,108 vertical feet, or over four miles in height.  To put it into perspective, that’s higher than Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere.
* Source Bob Regan Steps of Pittsburgh, 2004

Steps in Art:

The last few years the StepTrek has been fortunate in sharing the wonderful work of artists who have depicted the steps in their art.  This year we recognize painter Cynthia F. Cooley, as our Honorary Chair. www.cynthiacooley.com

Here is a picture I took on the last StepTrek, which is one of my favorite pictures of Pittburgh…