Wind and Water vs. Stairway
Post a Comment →The Eagle Landing stairway in Burien is a unique steel-and-concrete construction that floats back and forth above a steep forested hillside, until it finally reaches the beach after 289 steps. Most Seattle stairs aren't much affected by stormy weather, but these stairs are an exception. Ever since we became acquainted with them, enough stairs were already missing at the bottom - battered by wind, logs and waves - that we had to jump a gap down to the beach.
Burien Parks Manager Steve Roemer recently told us the bottom of the stairs had been further damaged in the latest winter storms. Because this stairway is included in the upcoming Stairway Walks Day on February 9th, we were eager to check out his report. They still look good to go, though most people will probably stop short of the beach. The first picture below was taken about 15 months prior to the second. As you can see, at the edge of Puget Sound, change is a constant. 
October, 2011: Missing stairs were replaced with these slatted steps
January, 2013: Now the slatted replacement steps are missing, and a couple more have been swept away
Change is a constant, and not only because of wind and tides. A new 9-step stairway has been added to a steeper part of the Eagle Landing Trail, shown below. For more on the Eagle Landing stairway route in Seattle Stairway Walks, click here.
Nine new steps have been added to the Eagle Landing Park trail
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