Learn how to construct a rope bridge

By Robert BirkbyApp Feed - Archives, App Feed - For Leaders, App Feed - Outdoors

(From the September-October 2019 issue of Scouting magazine.)

Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell believed every Scout should know how to build bridges. From designing the structure to gathering materials and putting it all together, bridge construction combines technology, teamwork and enthusiasm to complete a span that is memorable and useful.

A bridge on a hiking trail can be as simple as a log across a narrow gap. A more serious one relies on sturdier materials like rope and poles. A rope bridge Baden-Powell described in his 1908 manual, Scouting for Boys, is what today's Scouts would call a rope bridge.

This is a classic pioneering project, and a variety of styles and instructions have been shared many times from a 1965 Boys’ Life article penned by Scouting leader and author William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt to various editions of the Pioneering merit badge pamphlet.

If Scouts don't have a stream or small gully to cross, they can build the bridge in a meadow or backyard. Follow safety rules, ensuring the foot rope is no higher than 6 feet off the ground and no longer than 25 feet between A-frames. Using a 50-foot rope, the maximum span between A-frames should be 20 feet, with the extra length being used for anchoring the bridge.

Before building any pioneering structure, it's necessary to first acquire the wherewithal to experience success. The skills, along with the lashing ropes and poles required to build a rope bridge using double A-frames for better stability, can be used time and again for a variety of pioneering projects and troop meeting activities. Here's how to build a rope bridge.

Scouts can celebrate their bridge's completion by crossing it and reflecting on how the project came together. What went well? What would they do differently next time? What roles did teamwork and leadership play in the project?

After it has served its purpose, the bridge can be dismantled: The ropes can be coiled and stored with the poles in a dry place, ready to bring out for the next pioneering project.

Helping Scouts realize they have the power to plan and construct big projects is a practical way to bridge the gap between the promise of Scouting adventure and fulfilling that promise in the field.

Illustrations by Robert Prince.