The Mighty Mac

Right-o! Back to that over-stuffed "draft" folder again, at last. This fall has been full indeed, as you'll soon see. I'm starting my next attempt to catch up with a report from an event that marks the official end-of-summer for many in these parts:
The annual Labor Day Mackinac Bridge Walk. It's the only time of the year that foot traffic is allowed on the five-mile suspension bridge connecting the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan.

According to the official press release, 42,000 people participated this year. It was an overcast, drizzly morning in the Straits of Mackinac, which may account for the low turnout; apparently the average number is around 50-65,000 walkers (more than the combined population of the two counties connected by the bridge). Somehow, having spent more Labor Days than not on nearby Burt Lake, I'd never joined the crowd before.

As with so many attractions, it took out-of-town visitors to spur the locals to get involved. Ed and Sue, parents of my friend Halle in D.C., wrote to say they were coming up from Ohio for the bridge walk and would I join them? Well, sure. My mom came along, too. She's the one who managed to document my presence in the midst of the crowd, walking backwards and holding the camera high to capture the scene. A walking pace makes for an impressive up-close view of the Mighty Mac. Looking up, I focused on the soaring structure of cables and towers and rivets:
Looking down, I could see right through the grate to the water, 200 feet below at the highest point. The whole bridge swayed in the wind a few times during our crossing. It was a very odd, dizzying sensation to feel the ground moving in that unexpected way beneath my feet. A straight-ahead view provided an opportunity to learn some additional details about the bridge walk from these very informative hot-pink t-shirts worn by a few of the especially dedicated walkers. So now I know that this particular Labor Day tradition is more than 50 years old. Clearly high time for me to experience it. Thanks to the enthusiastic Ohioans for the nudge! Maybe someday I'll be one of those people weighed down by a jacket-full of colorful patches commemorating years and years of bridge crossings accomplished. For now, I'm glad to include just one walk among my list of local adventures.