Mission: Mackinac Bridge Walk..Early Bird Gets there First

Monday, September 5,2011...commonly known here in the USA as Labor Day. For me, this Labor Day, was not about celebrating unions and organized labor (I guess it never has been), nor was it about completing some massive project at home, nor vacationing (although I guess technically I was on a "mini" vacation), nor was it about getting together with family and friends for a cookout. Today was about conquering a fear I have struggled with for nearly 4 decades. From early childhood, I have had gephyrophobia, a fear of bridges. Mainly tall open bridges. Street level bridges through town don't bother me at all, but something about being elevated high above a large body of water is just something that I would prefer to avoid at all costs. I walked the Blue Water Bridge across to Canada in the 70's with the Girl Scouts, once. It was not at all an enjoyable experience.

For years I was not able to even drive across the Blue Water Bridge, let alone the Mackinac Bridge, and would either have to close my eyes and breathe deeply or distract myself in other ways. My friend Carolyn would keep me busy with scratch off lottery tickets for our occasional jaunts to Sarnia! But, in January of 2008, that all changed. While on vacation in coastal South Carolina and Georgia, I was unexpectedly challenged with not one, but two, large bridges. The first was the Sidney Lanier Bridge that I suddenly found myself on while on route to Jekyll Island from St. Simon's Island. I know, I know, it's an island what did I expect! Unfortunately, I didn't realize I was heading there on THIS bridge until it was too late to turn around. Ditto for the Arthur Ravanel Bridge in Charleston. Lots of deep breaths and white knuckle steering got me over it. So I began to wonder, could my fears be conquered? So, I set a plan. In June 2009, I went to Niagara Falls, Ontario for a long weekend. And I did not chicken out by driving down to Marine City to take the ferry over to Canada, but rather drove the Blue Water Bridge, and in fact was ok with the fact that I was stuck in traffic for the better part of an hour, high above the St. Clair River. So, my next challenge was if I could navigate the Mackinac Bridge. And in July 2010, on the way to Isle Royale, I did just that! Now, I wasn't calm at all going across and to be frankly honest I was terrified the whole 5 miles and it was all I could do to stay calm and not cry, and no, I am not a crybaby and it really takes a lot to get me to that point! The trip home was actually....enjoyable! So, I began to think, perhaps, maybe I had this gephyrophobia thing in the bag. I figured there was only one way to find out for sure....WALK the Mackinac Bridge on the only day of the year it is permitted, Labor Day. So, almost a year before I took those first physical steps across, I began to plan.

The night before, I filled by backpack up with

anything that I might possibly need for my trek. It was pretty light, mainly water, a few snacks and rain gear and whatnot. Since there would be no restroom facilities for those 5 miles I took care not to be drinking a lot of water until I was pretty much done. And if I was to do this, I was going to do it right. I would be one of the very first (or so I thought) people there! Which meant getting up about 5:15 am to be at the buses (which shuttled walkers to nearly the foot of the bridge to eliminate vehicle congestion) in St. Ignace. I arrived there at 6am and boarded the 1st bus!

Of course I was excited! Yes, even at 6 am! But it was going to be a chilly start, it was only in the mid-40's and a wind of about 15-20 mph was gusting in from the north...brrrrrrr. Somehow, I didn't think to bring a jacket with me....fortunately, I found a fleece zip up in my Durango and I pulled out my rain gear as the fabric actually works as a pretty good wind blocker. I was set.

The buses unloaded at the viewing area to the west of the toll booths. Being that I neglected to go down there after dark for some bridge photos, I decided it would be a perfect time to take a few moments to photograph the bridge all light up. Unfortunately, I did not think to pack my monopod into my backpack, so I had to improvise using a large rock.

After some photos, I began to follow the masses of people who were being unloaded off of the many buses that were starting to unload in the park. The folks from the Bridge Authority were very good at proper signage with flashing lights and so forth to point the way to the starting line.

I turned to my right to see the flood of headlights coming toward St. Ignace on the bridge from the Lower Peninsula. It was rather impressive.

Upon reaching I 75 and the toll booths, Michigan State Policemen and National Guardsmen made the crowd stop until a large group was amassed and traffic was halted to allow us to cross.

After crossing the freeway, I spotted a bunch of folks in Rick Snyder (Michigan's governor) t-shirts. Traditionally, the Governor is the first person to walk (or some fit Governors actually run or jog) across. My bet was that he was a walker. I thought hmmmm..how cool would that be to meet the Gov & walk with his group. So, I inquired....uh no, you have to be "invited". Apparently paying an obscene amount in income, property, and sales tax to the state do not automatically qualify one to be "invited". So, I left their little party and went around the bend and stood amongst the hoards of people.

Not really knowing what to expect, I chatted with those around me, it's not like anyone could move. We were all just squished together, like at a concert a sporting event when a few thousand people are trying to get to the same spot and the gateway is only 4 feet wide. It was about 6:50ish am when we started to hear voices being broadcast from the front. I think at one time I heard them announce the Lt. Governor. But I really can't be sure, the sound quality was horrible and echoy and its not like you could hear a pin drop with a few thousand people in such a small area. I really couldn't see either, this is when being short REALLY is not an advantage, so I stood on my tiptoes and raised my camera as high as I could & snapped a few photos. I have absolutely no clue as to who the guy on stage was. I thought getting up at 5:15 would get me a front row view. I guessed wrong.

Mission: Mackinac Bridge Walk...And She's Off!

At exactly 7:01 a.m. my feet started to move forward for the 5 mile trek that would take me across the Mackinac Bridge and arrive in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan in Mackinac City. This photo is a little blurry to say the least, but I had to take it while walking rather than risk being run over by the masses.

Shortly after the walk began, I veered over to the side as I felt that it would be less crowded here and would be better to stop on the side for photo-op's rather than in the middle of everyone. The sky was lightening up, I was hoping for another spectacular sunrise like I witnessed on Saturday, but no luck like that today.

The sky did have some nice pink hues to it though, but the cloud cover was too dense. Perhaps that was a good thing as without the heavy cloud cover, the morning temperatures would have been significantly colder!

Even the Moose from Mission Pointe joined the festivities. I also saw Ronald McDonald, but he was a bit too quick for me.

All of a sudden, fellow walkers were oooohing and aaaaahhhhhing about something...turns out a rainbow had appeared! It seemed to start in the Lower Peninsula near McGulpin Point and reached St. Ignace!I wish I had thought to pack my polarizing filter so that I could make the colors stand out more!

Finally, sunrise....I wished that I could just stop and relax for 5-10 minutes and just watch the sun rise up from the horizon to light the world. In all reality, I would have been trampled or at the minimum been bumped into several times. Not really wanting any more bruises, I continued on.....just sort of slowly though.

And to think that the folks here, within a few hundred feet of me, were just a small percent of those that would arrive today to walk the it as well! Here's buses bringing even more people from Mackinac City to be dropped off at the starting line.

One major obstacle to those handicapped folks that joined me in crossing the bridge were these expansion joints of some sort. I can't remember how many of them there was, I'm thinking at least 4-8, but it did pose a significant hazard to those in wheelchairs and strollers. They had to be navigated quite carefully as I saw many having momentary difficulty.

By now it was maybe 7:30 or so, and I started to spy these lunchboxes that made me think of chicken! I was starving! Keep in mind, I had already been up over 3 hours, ok. I did have some snacks in my pack, but then again, stopping, digging it out, eating it...didn't seem too worth it at the time. I could wait until I was done.

Sunrise was over, and it was now hidden totally above the clouds. But at least it wasn't raining on our "parade".

Mission: Mackinac Bridge Walk...Over the Water

 Finally, I reached a little emergency pull out section where I  could get a better look at the bridge itself. It was a bit crowded as I patiently waited my turn while others got there photos taken as well.

Still smiling!

 I thought it would be kind of neat to have a photo of me actually walking, so I handed my (new) camera to a stranger behind me.....NOT smart! When I turned around I was totally panic stricken to find that a massive crowd of people had filled in the gap! After what seemed like an eternity, I found my camera (and the lady). Sometimes, I'm not the brightest crayon in the box. I made a mental note not to do that ever again.

After about 45 minutes or so, the crowd started to space out a little further, now it was still VERY crowded, but at least you had a little elbow room and could stop periodically without getting run over. I thought this might be a good time to go to the center of the bridge and walk on the grating and peer down into the Straits of Mackinac below.

All of a sudden, the cables next to be started to make an unusual high pitched "humming" noise. I stopped and looked and thought was the heck is that? So, I continued walking forward and suddenly out of nowhere, I got vertigo really bad, light headed, nauseous  and thought I was going to pass out for a moment! With nothing to steady me, I stopped and realized everyone in front of me was either stopped, or were weaving back and forth like drunken sailors. Ahhh, the bridge had been caught by a gust and was swaying to the left. THAT would explain the noise and the vertigo. So, I calmly focused my eyes on the near tower until the sensation passed. I'm certainly glad I hadn't eaten breakfast! That was very odd! It happened once again when I was near the center of the bridge, but for a shorter interval of time.

No, it wasn't scary walking on the grate, and no I didn't think I was going to fall into the Lake. I was concerned though that if my toe of my shoe was to catch in one of these 1x1 inch "holes" that I would be sent flying and end up kissing the bridge, sort of like kissing the Blarney Stone or the Stanley Cup but on accident. Not that I would want to "kiss" any of the above, eewwww germs.  

Here I am walking the grate headed toward the first tower.

Interesting Mackinac Bridge Facts:

The bridge opened to traffic November 1, 1957 after nearly 3 & 1/2 years of construction. At that time it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Today, it ranks 3rd, behind the Akasji Kaikyo in Japan, and the Great Belt in Denmark. It's 5 miles or 26,372 feet long. 8,614 feet of that bridge is actually "suspended" by cables from 2 towers that are 3,800 feet apart. The bridge deck is 200 feet above water to allow for ships about 150 feet in height to pass underneath. The towers rise 552 feet above the water and are accessible by stairs or elevator (inside the tower itself).

There are 42,000 miles, YES MILES, of wire in the main cables
that weigh 16,000 tons. Each cable (way up at the top) is 24 & 1/2
inches thick! Each wire is only 0.196 inch thick, but each cable contains 12,580  wires! I'm not sure how many wires made up this vertical piece, but it was about as big as a silver dollar maybe. There are also 4,851,700 steel rivets and 1,016,600 steel bolts that hold the Mighty Mac together as well. For more facts go to www.Mackinacbridge.org

Mission: Mackinac Bridge Walk, North Tower

Somewhere around 8 am, I was approaching the North Tower of the Mackinac Bridge. I turned around to see if the crowd behind was thinning...nope, thousands of folks still were hot on my heels, and the buses kept bringing over thousands more! What I did notice, is that everyone had their happy faces on! Some were quiet, some were chatty, a few were singing. Two gentlemen were using sign language to communicate with each other. I was Michigan fans, State fans, a few from good ol' Ferris State. Lots of Tigers fans, a few Red Wings fans, no Lions fans. I'm guessing that most of the participants were from Michigan. But, perhaps some from other states and possibly from other countries (most likely Canada) as well. Most were dressed for the weather and wearing casual clothes, I saw 2 gentlemen that were wearing dress pants, white shirts and ties. Some had on "costumes" or silly hats, those made me laugh! Many were by themselves, most were in small groups of 2-5, and a few large groups here and there. Some were tall, some short. Some were elderly, most were 20-60 I'm guessing. I did see 1 newborn and several dozen youngsters under the age of 3 or 4 (most of them that were walking had on a "leash"), I did not see any pets.

There were babes in strollers, handicapped folks in wheelchairs , 1 person on a scooter, 1 man  pushing a wheelchair with no one in it! I didn't ask . I saw several handicapped individuals who were  walking with great difficulty, I made it a point to tell them "great job" and keep walking. Seeing  them conquering 5 miles with a physical ailment and  their courage to do this really made me stop and  reevaluate my fears and worries and how insignificant  they are in the bigger scope of things. It seemed like a good time to thank God for bestowing so many blessings on me and my friends and family. It was a great time to think and just enjoy life and to be thankful for everything and everyone in my life.

Here's the view of nearly directly beneath the north side of the North Tower. You just really can not appreciate the size of them until you have a few moments to check them out up close!

 Looking back as I approached the center of the bridge as I felt it start to shift eastward as another large gust of wind passed through the Straits.

At the center was the first time I noticed this little red light. I'm not sure really what it was for. It was about 4 foot above the roadway.

I had forgotten to mention one item I was surprised to see on the bridge, let alone 3 times....road kill! Birds. All at different spots, pretty much unidentifiable. I thought it rather odd and unexpected.

I also spotted this anemometer to measure wind speed. I assume there are several of these placed strategically, but this is the only one that I noticed.

And one last look at the North Tower for good measure.

Mission Mackinac Bridge Walk...South Tower

Here was the halfway point, 2.5 miles down and 2.5 miles to go until I reached Mackinac City! As you can see, the crowd thins and thickens depending on the pace of the participants.

 Approaching the north side of the South Tower.

To get my photo taken with the South Tower, I elected this time to have a stranger take the photo with my phone as it's much cheaper to replace than my camera!

I spotted a photographer on top of the South Tower. I wondered....had he taken the stairs, or the elevator? My bet was on the elevator. I'm not sure how I would feel about being up there. I'm sure it was quite a bit more gusty up there though! I was quite content to stay on the deck of the bridge. I did wave at him, like he saw me!

Then, a helicopter started to circle the area. Those around me were also unsure if it was police or the National Guard, or a news helicopter.

For one last time, I decided to walk on the grate for a little while. Looking through the grate you can see the pillar and green platform below and the blue water just beyond the green platform.

The view from directly below the South Tower.

A last look back at both towers.

Mission: Mackinac Bridge Walk....the Finish Line

I really like this angle, a bridge tower within a tower!

Finally, nearly complete with Mackinac City close in my sights. I was nearly there! It seemed to be getting crowded again for some reason,

and then I looked behind me!Thousands of folks headed in my direction! I didn't pause too many times for photos after this, after crossing the finish line, I sill had to walk a good mile to get to the school buses that would take me back to my car in St. Ignace. Walking back is NOT an option. Walking is allowed north to south ONLY! I needed to be in Grand Rapids by 4 or 5 pm and had a schedule that I needed to keep.

 I did stop momentarily though to look at the interesting waves that Lake Huron was bringing to Mackinac City.

Finally, at 9:15 a.m....the finish line was just a few feet ahead! I crossed it just shortly over 2 hours from starting, I would have made better time if I hadn't paused to take 400+ photos! But, I was there to conquer a fear and have fun, not to win a race. There was no prize for finishing first, just happiness, a sense of accomplishment,  and a certificate for finishing.

I DID IT!!!!!! Me proudly holding the official certificate I was presented with at the completion of the 2011 Labor Day Mackinac Bridge Walk. Just past the finish line, I was able to purchase a stamp that was placed on the certificate that was cancelled by the United States Postal Service. Now I'll have to think about my other phobias...

Mission: Mackinac Bridge Walk...The Ride Back

After receiving my certificate and get it stamped, I headed through town to locate my transportation back to St. Ignace. And believe it or not, I only stopped in one store! Signage here, again, was very clear. I will say that I found it to be a very organized event!

After paying $5 to board the bus, I figured it
would be a quick 15 minute trip back across. Not so much. And I thought it was a bit humorous that there needed to be a sign warning motorists that there was droves of people walking in their direction......

...like it wasn't obvious??!! It was now, well after 10am, and they had limited the walkers to just one lane on the bridge as opposed to two lanes a few hours earlier. The following day it was reported that approximately 36,000 people had completed the walk. And from what I understand, that is lower than average!

 As I looked out the bus window, I searched the crowd for my friend, Sharon. Impossible, it would be easier to find Waldo! But it was interesting, nonetheless. Some folks waved with enthusiasm, most just kept moving forward.

I noticed this young man was NOT going to be denied his chance at walking on the grate just because he got a late start. A National Guardsman quickly approached him and strongly suggested that he continue on the pavement instead.

 And the crowds were seemingly endless! It was now just a few minutes before 11 am!

 One of the last folks called themselves "trolls". I figured it to be a local thing. I finally got off the bus and made it to my car by 11:30, I was certainly glad that I had arranged for a late checkout! I hadn't expected the ride back to take nearly as long as it did.

After a hurried bite to eat, I headed south on I 75 crossing the Mackinac Bridge for the third time that day and witnessed the last of the last just beginning their trek.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!