Up, Up, and...Up

As you're driving through South Side Bethlehem, approaching Lehigh University, there is only one direction you can look in to get a glimpse of the entire campus - up.  Lehigh was carved into a mountain in the 1800s, and continued to expand but upwards and downwards ever since, into the extremely steep campus we know today.  With the winding roads that were so strategically (or some not-so-strategically) engineered, the seemingly 90 degree angle the campus exists on is camouflaged.  However, if you are not venturing around campus via vehicle, you immediately will encounter the uphill battle...with stairs.

One of the biggest complaints amongst Lehigh students is the absurd and awkwardly shaped and sized stairs that can be found all over the campus.  Granted, the stair are completely necessary and provide "shortcuts" from building to building.  But, there are few places you can stand on Lehigh's campus and not have a view of some set of stairs.  They're al over the place, and when they come they seem to come in hundreds.  When planning to walk up from East Packer, no matter what route you take, one thing is for sure - you better brace yourself; no matter how in shape you are it is almost a guarantee that you will be panting by the time you reach the top of campus.

These specific set of stairs are known as the "death stairs," and I became very familiar with them freshman year when they were the only obstacle to stand between me and the dining hall.  I blame my hatred for these stairs (combined with the other million in between) for my lack of gym use freshman year.  The battle with these stairs was not worth the workout.  Instead my workout consisted of taking on these babies multiple times a day.