So what do Prince Harry, Al Gore, Michael Caine, Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman, and Holly Kellar have in common?? We've all climbed to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge!
As I mentioned in yesterday's posting, I booked a Bridge Climb for 7:15 last night, which meant that by the time we started climbing the bridge, it would be dark outside. It started clouding over late yesterday afternoon, and it even looked like it might rain. (It did.) So I checked in by 7 PM and at 7:15 on the dot, our small group was ushered into a room to begin our screening and safety training. There were 5 of us -- all women, the other 4 were from Germany, Brazil, and two from France -- and the small group turned out to be very nice. Our climb leader, Erin, was also a woman.
First was signing a release form and a breathalizer test. Then we got suited up in the nifty climb suits (after removing watches and anything in our pockets that might fall out) and the waterproof rain pants. Next was the safety belt (we were attached to the bridge for the entire climb), and then all kinds of accessories -- a radio and headset so we could hear Erin, fleece, rain poncho, hat, and head lamp. Everything had to be attached to us and we even went through a metal detector to make sure no one had anything (coins, a watch, whatever) that could fall.
Last step was a little simulation where we went up and down some ladders, getting used to the cable "leash" attached to our safety belts. I gotta tell ya, these people were ALL about the safety!
Then we headed out! We had to walk for a little while along a walkway under the bridge before we actually started the ascent. We also had to climb up some ladders right in between the lanes of traffic on the bridge (in a protected area -- it's not like we were actually IN the traffic). Once we started going up the arch, and could see the lights of Sydney, it was really cool!
The climb itself wasn't ridiculously strenuous, partially because we kept stopping to look around or for Erin to point out some landmark. She said that we would burn about 800 calories (which I actually find hard to believe -- I don't think it was that much, although it certainly was exhausting!) and there certainly was one part where the incline was steeper and we were out of breath after a short bit.
The weather also made it very interesting. It was WINDY, although I never felt unsafe. We had railings on both sides at all times, and once we were going up the bridge, we always had something solid under our feet and we couldn't look straight down because of a ledge on the other side of the railing. Plus, as I said, we were always attached to a cable. The cloud cover meant that it wasn't that dark as much of the city light was reflected down.
After maybe 45 minutes or so of climbing, we reached the top! If I remember correctly, the summit is 154 meters above the water. VERY COOL! You could look either way and just see the steel of the bridge sloping down. It was really neat!
Then, shortly after we started our descent, the weather got even more interesting. We could see lightning off on the horizon (which was pretty cool to watch from that altitude), but of course that meant that a storm was rolling in so we ended up going down pretty quickly! (Again, they were all about the safety. Luckily, it didn't start storming before we got to the top, otherwise we would have had to turn back without going all the way up.) Before we got back to the roadway level (where we could take cover under the roadway), it started raining and the wind picked up. Luckily, we all had our rain ponchos (sewed into the little pouches attached to our belts -- again, making it impossible to drop anything).
The whole thing with training, etc. took a little over 3 hours, and it was definitely a trip! Like I said, I never felt even remotely unsafe or nervous about it. It was a like a serious hike up a steel mountain, with the reward of a gorgeous view!
Of course we were not allowed to take cameras, but they had photo ops along the way. Maybe when I get home I'll scan my photo to post!
As I mentioned in yesterday's posting, I booked a Bridge Climb for 7:15 last night, which meant that by the time we started climbing the bridge, it would be dark outside. It started clouding over late yesterday afternoon, and it even looked like it might rain. (It did.) So I checked in by 7 PM and at 7:15 on the dot, our small group was ushered into a room to begin our screening and safety training. There were 5 of us -- all women, the other 4 were from Germany, Brazil, and two from France -- and the small group turned out to be very nice. Our climb leader, Erin, was also a woman.
First was signing a release form and a breathalizer test. Then we got suited up in the nifty climb suits (after removing watches and anything in our pockets that might fall out) and the waterproof rain pants. Next was the safety belt (we were attached to the bridge for the entire climb), and then all kinds of accessories -- a radio and headset so we could hear Erin, fleece, rain poncho, hat, and head lamp. Everything had to be attached to us and we even went through a metal detector to make sure no one had anything (coins, a watch, whatever) that could fall.
Last step was a little simulation where we went up and down some ladders, getting used to the cable "leash" attached to our safety belts. I gotta tell ya, these people were ALL about the safety!
Then we headed out! We had to walk for a little while along a walkway under the bridge before we actually started the ascent. We also had to climb up some ladders right in between the lanes of traffic on the bridge (in a protected area -- it's not like we were actually IN the traffic). Once we started going up the arch, and could see the lights of Sydney, it was really cool!
The climb itself wasn't ridiculously strenuous, partially because we kept stopping to look around or for Erin to point out some landmark. She said that we would burn about 800 calories (which I actually find hard to believe -- I don't think it was that much, although it certainly was exhausting!) and there certainly was one part where the incline was steeper and we were out of breath after a short bit.
The weather also made it very interesting. It was WINDY, although I never felt unsafe. We had railings on both sides at all times, and once we were going up the bridge, we always had something solid under our feet and we couldn't look straight down because of a ledge on the other side of the railing. Plus, as I said, we were always attached to a cable. The cloud cover meant that it wasn't that dark as much of the city light was reflected down.
After maybe 45 minutes or so of climbing, we reached the top! If I remember correctly, the summit is 154 meters above the water. VERY COOL! You could look either way and just see the steel of the bridge sloping down. It was really neat!
Then, shortly after we started our descent, the weather got even more interesting. We could see lightning off on the horizon (which was pretty cool to watch from that altitude), but of course that meant that a storm was rolling in so we ended up going down pretty quickly! (Again, they were all about the safety. Luckily, it didn't start storming before we got to the top, otherwise we would have had to turn back without going all the way up.) Before we got back to the roadway level (where we could take cover under the roadway), it started raining and the wind picked up. Luckily, we all had our rain ponchos (sewed into the little pouches attached to our belts -- again, making it impossible to drop anything).
The whole thing with training, etc. took a little over 3 hours, and it was definitely a trip! Like I said, I never felt even remotely unsafe or nervous about it. It was a like a serious hike up a steel mountain, with the reward of a gorgeous view!
Of course we were not allowed to take cameras, but they had photo ops along the way. Maybe when I get home I'll scan my photo to post!
Very cool, Holly. Way to do those once-in-a-lifetime experiences!
ReplyDeleteHolly,
ReplyDeleteI so appreciate your vivid descriptions...reading them is as though I'm having a conversation with you in person...I love it! It sounds like you are having a blast down there. And, come on, climbing a big metal bridge in the middle of a storm takes some guts...way to go! :)