Climbing Jacob’s Ladder

Climbing the “Ladder of Death” in St Helena, a popular tourist attraction

While in St Helena a couple of years ago, I decided to cave into the challenge of climbing a set of steps called Jacobs Ladder, which I nicknamed the Ladder of Death.

For those of you unfamiliar with St Helena, it’s a small island in the middle of the South Atlantic. I got there by sailboat from Namibia, a 10-day passage away. It was part of a circumnavigation I completed in 2019, by crewing on sailboats or what I call Global HitchHiking. For more information, click on the link or feel free to ask me about it in the comments.

Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob’s Ladder is 699 steps up the side of the mountain in Jamestown. It used to be part of a cable railway for hauling goods up and was powered by a capstan and donkeys for a while. Eventually, roads got better, transportation got better, and the railway got used less and less, and now all that’s left is this staircase for tourism.

I wasn’t expecting the size of the steps, which were at least a few inches taller than your standard stairs. I didn’t measure them, but by the time I got to the top, they knew my name! Here are some snaps.