Dr. Bob Brier
Egyptologist, Long Island University

Before climbing I met Jean-Pierre at the base of the pyramid to go over what I hoped to accomplish. I am not an architect and wanted to know what to look for. He told me to measure the notch, examine the join where the lateral walls met the pavement, and look for any cracks that might allow me to peer in for evidence of the ramp. We said our goodbyes and with a tape measure and small digital camera stuffed into my pocket I began my ascent.

I was happy to have Nicolas, our cameraman with me. As an experienced climber, he was better at picking the safest route so I followed his lead. On the NE corner, the blocks are about four and a half feet high for the first twenty or so courses, a bit high to hoist oneself up, so we decided to begin not at the corner but in the center of the north face of the pyramid, where the blocks were about a foot smaller. Then it became a bit tricky because the stones are crumbly. Each ledge was only about nine inches deep and covered with limestone flakes. Careful not to rely on our footing, we hung on to the block above us, using the ledge for as little support as possible. When we finally reached the corner, life got considerably better. The stones were smaller and of better quality and soon we were moving quickly up the giant's staircase. After about five minutes we came to a very small notch. Nicolas asked if this was it and I explained we still had a couple of hundred feet to go and we set off.

Jean-Pierre and I had speculated for years what the notch would look like up close, and it wasn't what I expected: the area was irregular not what I expected for a notch crafted to turn blocks. Perhaps it was just a result of medieval stone robbing. As I took measurements I could see a crevice at the back of the notch. Finally it was time to look through the crevice, and this is where the big surprise came.