Secret Stairs #42: Pacific Palisades—Giant Steps, 3.6 miles, 1,117 steps

Barbara and I were saving this monster walk for our final Stair Trek, but thanks to a heads-up email from Andrew Pierce, we changed plans and headed to the mountains this morning—two days before bulldozers arrive to destroy a bizarre piece of LA history. My iPhone camera barely does justice to the view on our way up high into the Santa Monica mountains, overlooking Rustic Canyon, Santa Monica Canyon, the city of Santa Monica, and the ocean. Unlike our urban hikes, the stairs we climbed today weren't constructed for public use—they were built for a 55-acre, self-sustaining 1930s Nazi sympathizer compound surrounded by chain-link barbed wire fences, and complete with water and power system, living quarters, and a bunker capable of withstanding military assault. Gorgeous surroundings, at one time perfectly landscaped, the nutcase residents planned to be ready to usher in a fascist state when Hitler's forces took over the US. The compound functioned smoothly until WWII, when the FBI identified the leader as a Nazi spy and sent the group off to prison. This place was so hidden it's almost scary. Once an artist colony in the late 40s, then eventually the graffiti plastered remains scheduled to be demolished this week. Pictured below is the shell of the former power station. Sure, the camp was of historical interest, but the biggest WOW of the hike was a Monster Staircase, 512 steps, the largest known staircase in Los Angeles. So "are you kidding me?" long and steep, I had to photograph it in six sections. (One shown below.) So, here's the short version of the hike: detour turned 3.6 mile hike into 5 miles. One snake. Two lizards. Nazi compound. Sat on my butt to slide down a path too sharp and unstable to walk without pitching forward. Climbed up 512 stairs in hot sun and dust. Crawled under chained link fence at the top to reach the road. Man, we had fun!