I booked the twilight bridge climb and I am still not quite sure what possessed me. Let me explain,…read moreI am in my mid sixties, fat, out of shape and deadly afraid oof heights. It didn't look so bad on pictures, but once I saw the bridge in person and in particular how tiny the climbers looked on top of the bridge, that was the moment fear set in.
And it got worse during the preparations. You don't just walk in and climb on up there. You need to have instructions, pass a breathalyzer test, change into a special suit, get a radio, headphones, attach your glasses, hat, jacket and whatnot all to your suit and step into a heavy harness. By that time you'll start to sweat because this suit is like a plastic bag and hold in the heat. You also get to practice a climb up some ladders... oh yay.
As a scaredy cat in regards of heights, I was placed up front so our guide could keep an eye on me. Good thing too. The rest of my group consisted of 20-30 year old athletic types... great. So you step on out of the building onto a catwalk and get hooked onto the safety line. This already made me regret things as I looked down onto the street below.
Then our guide starts to run, yes run on this narrow catwalk... aaarggghhh... I did finally catch up with her but only because she was waiting for our group. Surprise, let's climb up 4 ladders with 25 steps each back to back... man I was huffing and puffing. Thank goodness you get to wait until everybody is up. Then you climb and climb and climb on up the stairs. I did my best and did keep up, but I was really trying hard. I gave it my all. At about 3/4 of the way, my legs were turning into jello, almost to the summit I thought I was going to throw up, but luckily we stopped to take pictures as a group and then as individuals. I recovered during this little rest. We had climbed up during daylight, by the time we reached the summit the sun was setting and the the view was spectacular. Unforgettable. Recovered due to the short rest and with the promise of no further climbing, but rather descending from here on, I was feeling much better. Thirsty, drenched in sweat and wishing I had used the restroom before the climb, but otherwise ok.
Well now we had to cross from one side of the bridge to the other... at the summit, over several lanes of traffic and railroad tracks, and you can see straight down... for me, the scariest part.
Then finally the descent. By now it was getting quite dark and we needed to turn on our lamps. The descent was much quicker than the climb of course and I was eager to get out of this hot suit, get a drink of water and use the rest room... no such luck. Now one has to painstakingly unbuckle all the equipment from the suit. Eventually you get to change back into your regular clothes.
And just when you think you are done, you have to stand in line for the photo purchases. I had prepaid for the pictures, but still had to wait because the staff will pick out the pictures that feature you and put those with the group and scenery pictures. I do have to say our guide took fabulous pictures and they were worth the wait.
Yes, I know I don't describe this adventure as a wonderful experience, it was quite strenuous, but also exciting and the view alone is absolutely worth it. Also the staff was very encouraging and if you have fear or physical concerns let them know so they can help you along the way.
