Crossing the Mile High “Swinging” Bridge at Grandfather Mountain in a Wheelchair – A Dream Come True

I remember going on a day trip to Grandfather Mountain near Linville, North Carolina a few years after my disabling accident when I was still living in Charlotte, NC. Grandfather Mountain is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains and it’s best known for its mile high “swinging” bridge that links two of the mountain’s rocky peaks. The panoramic views from the bridge are supposedly spectacular, but I never got to see it because there was no wheelchair access to the bridge when I visited. Needless to say that I was very excited when I read an article about a new structure built at the top of Grandfather Mountain that provides wheelchair access to the bridge.

Luke Wilcox in front of swinging bridge

Making the mile high swinging bridge wheelchair accessible was a dream come true for Luke Wilcox. Luke was born with cerebral palsy and has been in a wheelchair all of his life. Luke and his parents frequently visited Grandfather Mountain ever since Luke was a baby and his parents were able to carry him up to the bridge till he became six years old. After that, they still visited Grandfather Mountain regularly but they only went half way up the mountain to the animal habitats because Luke got too big to be carried up to the bridge.

Luke, now 13 years old, is one of the first people to cross the swinging bridge in a wheelchair and he did it with a big smile on his face. Making the bridge accessible was a huge deal for Luke and the realization of his dream made him happy. Stories like this are a true testament of the difference accessibility can make in people’s lives.

You can find out more information about Grandfather Mountain at www.grandfather.com. And if you would like to witness Luke’s crossing of the mile high swinging bridge in his wheelchair, watch the video below.