CN Tower Climb... (Again!)

One of my sons enjoys the challenge of climbing the CN tower - via the inside staircase.

In the course of the year, a number of organizations plan fund-raising events involving a CN tower climb.

Personally, I'm not sure why anyone would want to walk (or run!) up the tower's 1,776 steps! (Maybe, if I felt I could do it, I'd feel different about the challenge.)

I've heard that the record is 7 minutes - set by a climber who bounds up several stairs at a time.

A few weekends ago, I headed to Toronto with my son, for his third climb.

He has managed to do all three climbs in under 20 minutes each, a feat that I find amazing!

The place was a hub of activity... As we approached the entrance, we were welcomed by the sound of street musicians. The early morning air was cool, but they were dressed for the weather.

The line-ups were longer than I remember from previous years. There were queues to register and later to get the T-shirts with a climber's individual time marked on them.

There seemed to be more climbers this year... There must have been thousands involved, both volunteers and climbers, in the 2018 World Wildlife Fund Climb.

As I waited for my son, watching climbers enter the stairwell and, later, leave, smiling, through the elevator on the main level, I was pleased that there were so many fit people in the city - young and old.

I chatted with an 8-year-old who had done the climb with her mother. The girl hadn't bothered to train, though her mother does regular workouts at a gym. (The things kids can do, without even trying!)

When I expressed amazement at what the two of them had accomplished, the mother replied: "You could do it too, if you tried... You can stop if you get tired."

Me?! I don't think so!

My son goes one step at a time, but the key - according to him - is not to stop until you reach the top.

(I'm pretty sure I couldn't do that! And I'd need to hold on to the rail, for balance and for  confidence. I'm not that great with heights!)