Now I wasn't sure why this hill was called Holy but I was sure to find out. I began my hike on Euclid Ave by the north US Berkeley Campus entrance. Turning left on Ridge Road I noticed a plethora of religious institutions. So that intrigued me and I realized why this hill was called holy. There was something holy about this hill. I noticed this real divine feeling in my inner self and the atmosphere changed spiritually as I meandered up this street. Apparently, many of the original stairways were designed specifically to deliver street car passengers.
Some of the buildings included The Church Divinity School of the Pacific, a theological center, a geochronology institution, a scientific study org, and the Ridge House. I noticed a middle aged women playing her guitar in the middle of the street. At the corner of Scenic Ave and Le Conte Ave, I spotted the Pacific School of Religion. It had a walkway that I took. And off to the sides were grass lawns. Dogs were chasing each other, playing fetch, children were throwing the frizbee's, females reading books. It was very peaceful. Peaceful that was until I reached my first stairway.
At the end of the walkway I spotted the first stairway, looked to be about 35 steps. An african man was reading a book on top of the stairs, a caucasian female reading off to the side of the stairs. I admire the East Bay view looking towards the bay and out of nowhere a spanish man sprints up the stairs! ''Hey, it's you again. Did you ever get a chance to meet Hopsin?'' Out of utter surprise, my Holy experience just turned into Unholy and Dejavu like.
''Wow! Where did you come from?'' I asked Javier. He said that he has been thinking about me and knows why I'm roaming the stairs. ''Why?'' I asked him.
''You're trying to find something on the stairs. You're coming to the Holy Hill Stairs to find answers. You're coming to the stairs to stop and to meditate. But let me tell you something. The answers lie within you, not on the stairs.''
''I see. Thanks'' I replied. Javier gleefully smiled, jetted down the stairs and shouted, ''It's inside of you, not the steps!''
I was pretty confused at the moment. How in the world did I spot Javier on Holy Hill? I was optimistic about today. Basketball event, stairs, lots of enjoyment. Now this is not something I could even make up. Some people just seem to be wherever your at, it's not something you can explain. Well, I tried to be optimistic the rest of the day and enjoy the remainder of the stairway hike. I climbed down the bottom of the stairs and headed left on Arch Street. I passed Virginia and Hilgard Ave, then turned right onto Cedar Street, and then left on Scenic Avenue. All I could do was try to decipher what that unconventional man meant.
I continued and crossed Vine Street. I turned right after houses 1452 and 1446 and found the bottom of the Hawthorne Steps. It had 2 segments: a lower 15 steps, an uphill walkway, and an upper 37 steps with a decorative palm tree on the right. It was stair time! After culminating to the top, I turned right and walked downhill. At the intersection Vine Street came in on the right, and Vine Line on the left.
The Vine Stairway consisted of 43 steps with a double handrail. I climbed it and landed on Euclid Ave again. I turned left until I reached the Rose Walk Stairway, a 17 step lower stairway and an additional 22 upper steps. After climbing to the top, I turned right and passed a historic Hillside school which was vacant. After passing it, I turned right and found an alley like stairway of 22 steps past house 1544 on Leroy. It brought me to some amazing views of downtown Oakland and downtown San Francisco on the right. After heading down the street, I reached Euclid once more and kept walking till I reached my starting point.