Hi

Hope you are well. Whey hey.. I am on such a high. I have just had the most amazing experience of my life so far...!!! Cannot believe it either as I was terrified.. but I climbed the bridge!!! I booked it yesterday and didnt sleep last nite.. and today I felt sick all day and thought I was going to bottle it... kept running to the loo and I also shed a few tears.. I was terrified. I am scared of heights and wanted to do it as a personal challenge.

The staff were fantastic... such lovely people and Scott our climb leader had a quiet word with me (I had a msg passed to him that I was particularly scared), and he said I would go in the front of the group behind him. There were 11 in the group.. from all over the world. Even the simulator freaked me out in the training beforehand and I admitted to Scott that not one bit of info had sunk in.. coz I was so anxious. He told me not to worry.

So, I walked out over gangways across 8 lanes of traffic below.. and led the group up the arch to the summit!!! I climbed the ladders totally alone (only 1 person allowed on at a time) over the traffic and tried not to look. I shot up there so fast even dave couldnt catch me up. I was talking to myself the whole way saying "Come on.. you can do it" and breathing so heavily I thought I might pass out!!! Scott was smiling when I got up the ladders and said he had been watching me the whole time and that he had seen me talking to myself and he knew I would do it. Climbing up the arch Scott buggered off for a bit so I literally led the group!!! Hee hee. Then I crossed the gangway at the summit to the other side of the bridge across the traffic (see pic 5) and was brave enough to take my hands off!!! It was rush hour and the traffic was buzzing below. Views were awesome. The descent wasnt easy either.. I felt bit wobbly but the bit I was dreading the most was the ladders again down to bottom... this time had to go backwards.. not nice when you can see all the cars below you....!!! To make matters worse a train screached past my ear and I froze to the spot.. Scott was laughing when I got down and said it was sods law that it had happened when I was on the ladders!!! But he was so proud and said that he admired my guts for giving it a go.. and doing so well!!! I gave him a hug afterwards.. he was fab. Even Kim who had booked my ticket yesterday came and found me afterwards and gave me a hug.. she was so reassuring and open about her own experience of the climb and really helped prepare me.

So there you have it. Feel free to use any of this text as you wish... and I would like to say a big thank you to Scott Baird, Climb leader extraordinaire (jokes need working on though!!) and to Kim Byrne, Climber Relations.. one of the nicest girls I have ever met.

Will send more pics soon.. have had another CD done xx