Yoga with polar bears, and other adventures along Cochrane, Ont.'s ice bridge
Every winter, an ice bridge 100 cm thick connects people to the other side of the Abitibi River
There is only one ice bridge on Ontario's provincial highway network, and for the past 50 years it has stretched 210 metres across the Abitibi River, northwest of Cochrane, Ont.
CBC outdoor columnist Bill Steer explored the winter bridge and came back with his impressions of the structure.
Click here to listen to more of Backroads Bill's adventures in the north
The bridge is built every winter by contractor Maurice Robin, who — without any manual to guide him — supports the bridge with steel cables that are about 4 centimetres in diameter, and strung between layers of "beautiful blue ice."
South of the bridge, in Cochrane, Steer says that polar bears can frolic in their natural habitat. And the centre provides yoga classes every morning, where yoga practitioners can stretch while the bears roam behind them.