First Flight of Dipsea Steps

The renovation of the first flight of Dipsea steps was completed a week ago, and the steps are fully open to use. The opening steps are now concrete, followed by a long section of wooden steps as in the past, then another set of concrete steps before the unchanged topmost 33 rock steps. The handrails are improved. Step plaques--which are sold out--have not yet been installed. Also coming is a boulder on which a plaque will announce that the Dipsea Trail is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

There should be essentially no impact on running times, or on passing. At the very top, the steps are angled right, which might help one second.

So how many steps are there now? I counted 316 in the first flight, an addition of three. With 222 steps on the second flight, and 150 in the top flight, the total is now 688 steps. When Jack Kirk coined his immortal line, "Old Dipsea Runners Never Die, They Just Go to the 672nd Step," there were 671 steps.