I read about the Bridge Climb www.bridgeclimb.com in Sydney, Australia, on one of those 'Top 100 Things to Do Before You Die' lists. The idea of climbing to the upper arch of the Bridge sounded like such a unique experience. I read that guides would take you and about 15 other people along catwalks, up ladders, and then steadily climbing to the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I figured my husband, Lee, would love it since he is so fond on heights and I was excited to try something that, although it scared me a little, would make a great story for our children and grandchildren.
So, we made a reservation and showed up at their offices at the base of the bridge a little before our appointed time. At exactly 10:15, we were ushered into a room with the rest of our tour group and the preparation process began. First, we signed declaration forms saying we wouldn't hold it against them if anything happened, like being struck by lightening or falling off the bridge, and had a compusory alcohol breath test. As soon as we left that room, the whole prep process was so effecient and thorough, it was like prepping for a military operation. We were each given a high tech BridgeSuit to wear over our clothes. We were each given a free locker for any extra clothes, outerwear, personal items, cameras, cell phones and, of course, my WisePack™.
Anything we were bringing to the top had to be attached to our BridgeSuit. We had safety harnesses that attached to the cables along the route, we had clips for our hats, gloves, hankie and anything we wanted to bring along. We had lanyards for our glasses or sunglasses. We had radio headset receivers so we could hear our guide talking to us as we climbed despite the wind. Once we were outfitted, we went on the Climb Simulator to assure them that we could handle the climb and to make sure we got a sense of the conditions. They taught us how to use our harnesses and the safest way to go up and down the ladders we would encounter.
An hour after we got there, we were headed out the door for the bridge. At the entry point, we hooked up our safety harnesses and started climbing three ladders to platforms until we were on the structure. We wove through steel arches as we gradually climbed up, up and away toward the apex. After a half hour of climbing, going slowly to catch our breath and take in the amazing views,we were on top of the world's largest steel-arch bridge. The views were exhilerating and breathtaking. Although they wouldn't let us bring cameras along, our guide took pictures of each of us and the entire group. The two pictures were included in the price but you can get lots more of course.
The climb down took about a half hour and was even more enjoyable than the trip up because it was less strenuous, we were used to our safety harnesses and we'd all decided that we would indeed live through the bridge adventure.
Two and a half hours after we'd started, the adventure was over, we were sitting at a pub down the street having Australian beers and bragging to the other tourists about how brave we were.
