David Kittams and David Gyorke, volunteers with Berkeley Path Wanderers Association, have completed critical repairs to the top section of El Mirador Path, under the guidance of Bob Gomez, path-building coordinator on the BPWA board.

David Gyorke (left) and David Kittams repaired the steps on El Mirador Path. Photos by Bob Gomez.

“The two Davids did a beautiful job,” says Gomez, a retired Caltrans engineer. “As we worked our way up, we put our heads together and said what do we do now? It was a great example of three people working together to get the right product in the end.”

El Mirador is in two segments located between Cragmont Avenue and Euclid Avenue, south of Cragmont Park. The path’s steps had been built with unanchored redwood, which was deteriorating and unsafe. “We were receiving complaints about these very aged redwood steps. They needed replacing with new, well anchored eucalyptus steps,” Gomez says.

Kittams and Gyorke installed 16 new steps over a period of several weeks working 2 hours at a time, 2 days a week. “Both Davids showed an amazing ability to work together and do it quickly,” Gomez says. “They were doing on average three steps a day, which for a 2-hour working period is remarkable. They are both really skilled, super-smart, and practical.”

Unanchored redwood-circle steps on El Mirador Path were replaced with wooden steps reinforced with rebar.

The path builders started from below and worked their way up, reaching the level of the street with about 5 feet to spare to allow for a platform at the top. Path Wanderers builders have precise standards for the alignment and the slope on wooden-step paths. “We’re very careful,” Gomez says.

Gomez and the path-building team are now consulting with the City of Berkeley Public Works Department on prioritizing repairs to concrete steps at the bottom of the path near Keith Ave. Those steps have been heaved upward by redwood tree roots.

“Almost every older path you go to needs some repairs,” Gomez says.

If you’re interested in learning more about BPWA’s path-building team, write to: path.building@berkeleypath.org.