Up way to early. Everyone rushed around grumbling and trying to get ready. When I first woke up the weather was looking threatening, but by the time we left blue skies were starting to show through. Got down to the start on the South side of the harbor, and checked in - even had enough time for a cup of coffee. Preparation involved watching a short video, signing the expected releases, and an breathalyzer test! (We all blew zero - even Chris after his work Christmas party last night). We had to completely empty our pockets, take off watches, put on a cover all, and pass a metal detector before they'd let us get to the real equipment. The equipment consisted of a safety harness and a very clever device which clipped us to a cable (it rolled around the cable supports), and a radio.
The bridge climb was awesome - even better than expected. You walk out under the south bridge deck to the start of the east side's center span. Then there's four flights of stairs up through the bridge deck - and between lanes of traffic - up on the the arch. The hike up the arch was as scenic as one could imagine with stunning view of the harbor, opera house, downtown, and the headlands - you could even see as far as Botany Bay! Near the top of the span there was a few drops of rain that made everyone nervous but it cleared pretty rapidly. At the top of the span we cut across a catwalk over the road to the west span - this was probably the scariest part of the walk, looking straight down to the road below. The walk back was on the other side of the bridge and not quite as spectacular.
After the climb we went to the Australian - a hotel / pub with amazing pizzas (we had emu, kangaroo, chicken, and prawn pizzas - all excellent). After lunch and a few beers it was time for a much needed nap. Sof and Chris went off to a friends barbecue and crawled up to the internet cafe.
