Day 4 (continued): High Above the M6
Zeron: Cameraman Steve and I watched Mike's progress climbing up the crane via the cherry picker. I was asked if I would like to go up the crane but I was happy to leave it to Mike - it was his test and I didn't want to take anything away from him. Besides the cherry picker would go higher than the crane Mike was climbing and was more manoeuvrable, cool!

It is so hard to judge Mike's emotions because he stifles them, but I'm sure he is scared despite him wearing that coverall grin of his. From my vantage point shadowing Mike's ascent I couldn't hear what he said - it's far too windy at this height. Mike tried to wave but seemed to decide that was a bad idea as he had to let go. But he is doing extremely well.

Mike: As I set off along the jib the walking platform near the cab was two metres wide, but it soon narrowed to 30cm (1 foot). More to the point, I could see straight through it to the ground a hundred feet below. I shuffled along at snail's pace, feeling very unsteady on my pins and infinitely more scared than during the climb. In fact I was nearly sick with fear. After what seemed like hours I reached the end of the jib, which was sixty metres out from the cab, but there were still things to do.

My next challenge was to let go of the handrails with one hand in order to pick up a model crane, which Alex had given me as an 'incentive' to get to the end. This proved far more difficult than merely walking along the jib and it took all my will power to let go. The final task involved climbing onto the very end of the jib before sitting down on a rail and experiencing the machine revolving at full tilt.

The experience was serene as we spun across a railway line, the M1 and the Pennine Way, safely harnessed to a mammoth piece of heavy plant. By now I was beginning to find my feet and I took a photo. Walking back along the jib I could feel the stress coursing through my veins and thought that I had the challenge licked, but I still had to get the model back, and have a go at operating the controls.

The first bit was easy - I gingerly walked until I got back to the wide walkway. The second part was more of a challenge. Once I sat down in the cab, my dizziness almost disappeared, and I felt comfortable sat in a good seat, even one this high and exposed. The controls were broadly similar to excavators that I have operated when carrying out repairs on them, but I never got used to the way in which the crane flexed and twisted. It really was quite freaky. With no accidents to blame me for, it was soon time to climb down.

Zeron: I watched Mike climb the crane and walk along the jib from the cramped cherry picker with cameraman Steve, the cherry picker operator and myself all squeezed into its little cradle. We zoomed up and down and in and out to get the best shots of Mike doing his challenge. I often wonder what Mike would have made of the cherry picker. I also wonder what Mike would have done if he had to climb the crane with a minimum of safety equipment and only himself to navigate to the end of the jib. Driving the crane was the easy, boy's toy part.

Mike: Back on the ground I checked out my 'vital statistics'. My normal heart rate is 58 - 62 beats per minute (bpm) when I'm stood up (a little less when I'm truly relaxed) and this remained more or less constant during the climb up the tower, showing that the physical challenges were not raising my pulse significantly. Even at the top it was barely beating above 70 bpm. However, at the end of the slow and gentle walk to the end of the jib my pulse had gone up to over 80bpm, and that was with no real physical exertion. This is evidence for one of the 'fight or flight' responses.

Likewise, my blood pressure went up from my resting rate of 120/80 or 110/70 to 160/90 at the top of the steps but then soared to 180/110 at the end of the jib. Again there was an increase linked to the effort (and anxiety) of climbing the steps, but the other leap, which happened when walking slowly along the jib, could only have occurred because of the fear that I was feeling.

By the end of the day I was knackered, and even when going to bed my head was still spinning. I guess my fear of heights is largely due to me simply being scared of heights, but I reckon a good deal of it is caused by vertigo. This makes me dizzy because my vestibular system (my eyes, and the skeletal muscles that help me balance) are sending mixed messages to the brain. My brain can't fully work out these messages and so I can't balance at height.

Not being able to stand up when a big fall could result would scare anyone I reckon and I still haven't 'cured' myself. This was evident when I was still mildly dizzy two days after the climb. I live in hope. On the other hand, Zeron's severe fear seemed to have been completely cured. Maybe it was because he is unlikely to be attacked by a reticulated python when wandering around town and his brain now believes this, but I guess a lot is down to the simple fact that everyone's fears are different. Still, we'll find out tomorrow how deep that 'cure' really is - it was amazing, but I find it hard to believe that he'll really be able to sleep with snakes.

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Content last updated: 25/08/2005