D r e a m B i g - - L i v e L a r g e

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The Allure of the Suspension Bridge



We are instantly, and consistently, in awe of the suspension bridges built between the vast canyons of the Himalaya. With the roaring rivers flowing swiftly below, one wonders - “how did they set this bridge up?” “How did they get the steel cables up the mountains in the first place? It is not like there is a road up to that point, it is only a trail - windy, steep and rocky…if there is a trail at all! And then, how did they get the cables across the river? Not even the Hollywood producer could accomplish that with a wild jump across, 2 ice axes in hand as they did in Vertical Limit when the bridge leading to K2 was down Our guide explains that all the materials, steel grates and hundreds of feet of steel cable, are carried up the trails by porters without the help of machinery… I just cannot image it. But each time we cross one of these bridges I am in awe - the sheer size of the bridge, the beauty surrounding it and the unbelievable feat it must have been to get it there.