A Walk Through the Sky
Nestled among the hills of West Virginia is America’s newest national park – New River Gorge. Home of a winding river, vast valleys, and trees as far as the eye can see, these 70,000 acres* welcome everyone to become immersed in the natural beauty of the area.
Perhaps one of the most recognizable landmarks of New River Gorge is its bridge. Standing 876 feet above the river and spanning 3,030 feet long, for years, it was the world’s longest single-arch bridge, though it now sits as the fifth longest. It is also one of the highest vehicular bridges in the world and the third highest in the U.S., with an average of 16,000 cars crossing it every day.
Though still relatively new, this impressive structure has already earned its spot on the National Register of Historic Places, and rightfully so — it cuts the travel time across the gorge from 45 minutes to 45 seconds.** But the thrill of the bridge and people’s fascination doesn’t just stop with its stats.
Guaranteed, we’ve all been tossed the rhetorical question, “If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you?” The New River Bridge would encourage you to say ‘Yes!’ For decades, the third Saturday in October has hosted the celebration of Bridge Day. Marking the only time in the year when the bridge is closed to cars and open to pedestrians, this festival draws in thousands of people, many of whom are BASE jumpers. Whether a daredevil or a spectator, it’s quite the sight to watch hundreds of people leap out into the open air above the gorge and parachute their way down to the banks of the river. Of course, the thrills don’t stop with the BASE jumpers, as hundreds of people also participate in rappelling off the bridge’s catwalk.
For those seeking a bit of an adrenaline rush and some fantastic views, but don’t want to leap off the bridge, the catwalk underneath the roadway allows visitors the unparalleled experience to walk the full length of the gorge. Admiring the architectural achievement of thousands of tons of concrete and steel suspended hundreds of feet in the air, one can't help but be mesmerized.
Securely in my harness, hooked onto the cable above, excitement filled my veins as we began walking out onto the two-foot-wide beam. The grass-covered ground quickly dropped away from my feet, and as I gazed ahead, I was met with an organized maze of steel beams, arching enough in the middle that it hid the other side. As I slid my rig along the cable, I couldn’t get enough of the views, and it felt beyond special to see the national park from an undeniably unique angle.
Soaking in every moment, ironically, my eyes seemed to look everywhere except where my feet were going. I watched as the river flowed below, birds soared around, and miniaturized cars, people, and a train went on their merry way. Finally looking down at my hiking shoes, it was difficult to grasp the odd illusion that the scenery below was nearly a thousand feet away.
Upon reaching the middle of the bridge, or about 1,500 feet across the gorge, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sit on the beam’s edge and dangle my legs out into the open. I felt suspended in the sky, as if I was sitting amongst the clouds, and though the cars continued to roar above, it was easy to fade the rumble of traffic into the background and become immersed in the peaceful landscape.
Though I was enjoying every minute and could have spent boundless time on the catwalk, my brave mother, who joined me for this experience, had diverting opinions. Due to her combined dislike of heights and bridges, her thoughts while on the bridge included:
"Something you will never get me to do again."
"I'm going to have nightmares about bridges for weeks."
And these strong reviews were only heightened when, quite unexpectedly, one of the clips got stuck along the line. Thankfully, my mom was in the clear, but the girl directly behind her must have drawn the short straw of the day, as her clip refused to pass through one of the last junctions. Though she was free to move backward, she couldn’t move forward to where the rest of the group stood. Continuing to fiddle with the hardware, she unfortunately made the situation worse and got the entire rig stuck.
Now she was locked and couldn’t go either way, and with only a two-foot-wide beam to work with, she was quite limited on any additional directions. The girl wasn’t too pressed about the situation, but the problem remained that not only was she stuck, still hundreds of feet in the air, but now no additional group could pass through. Our guide, along with the girl’s dad and a few other group members, attempted over and over to clear the line, but it created little to no progress. Finally, backup arrived with some elbow grease and a large rubber mallet. Sure enough, it paid off, and the girl was thankfully freed, except she was back on the other side of the junction. With another group waiting not far behind, she had no choice but to turn around and join them as they made their way back across the gorge. The rest of us finished our 3,030-foot walk, making it back to solid ground, and earning our “I did it!” BridgeWalk sticker.
Upon returning to the visitor center, we took one last stroll up to the gorge’s rim, this time appreciating the views with our feet firmly in the dirt, and we looked out to the bridge. How abnormal to see tiny human figures moving along, appearing to be suspended in the air, with the bustling traffic so close above.
How ironic that my mom was the one who first presented the idea of this adventure, and there just so happened to be two open spots with only a few hours’ notice. And how wonderful, that even a man-made structure in a national park is utilized so that visitors are still able to appreciate the beauty of the land. And how lucky am I?! To have trekked along the earth and through the sky of America’s 63rd national park.