Torontonians love the CN Tower.  We take pride in it.  It’s iconic, we brag about it-but most of us have never climbed it.

This, of course, makes it the perfect challenge for organizations raising money for their cause.

And, as it turns out, it’s the perfect way to get to know a great bunch of like-minded fitness girls like yourself.

The FITmiss team proudly raised over $1300 for WWF-Canada on Thursday night’s team tower climb-and while we were killing our quads and glutes for a great cause, we also gave each other the drive to achieve our personal best.

And we had plenty of time to achieve that while we were crowded with thousands of others patiently waiting their turn to run to the top.  If climbing the tower is an adventure, the entire experience was a spectacle to behold.

It was a long and crowded wait in the nearby SkyWalk-but fortunately, there were plenty of distractions:  magicians, yogurt and flatbread samples, the WWF Panda Bear.  Throw in a group of York U. undergrads singing an impromptu ”Bohemian Rhapsody” and we all had a rollicking good time.

Once our turn arrived, our team was in great spirits-and just a tad nervous about climbing 142 storeys to the observation deck.

That’s the other unique challenge to the tower, of course.  Once you start, there’s no dropping out-one way or another, you’ve got to reach the top.

So we set off up the austere, echoing staircase.

There were no windows and the stairwell was caged in, making it impossible to tell how high you were or how far there was to go.  Climbers hoping for a view were disappointed-but the squeamish were relieved.

The stairs themselves are actually no steeper than in your average house.  There’s just a lot of them-so the best way up is at an even and steady pace.

At least that was the best pace for me.  I was impressed and astounded by some of the remarkably fit people bounding up the stairs as it they were nothing.

As for the FITmiss girls? We focused on making a team effort.  Some of us are just beginning their fitness regimes.  Helping each other achieve their best was more important than breaking individual goals.  That kind of team effort would have meant everything to me when I first began five years ago.

When we all arrived at the top and looked out on the glimmering lights of Toronto, there was no better feeling in the whole world.

Every Torontonian should climb the CN Tower at least once.  It makes you appreciate our world-famous landmark that you never had before.

And, if you get the chance, climb it with a great bunch of people like the FITmiss girls.  I may have conquered the tower twice now-but I also made a great bunch of new friends.

Written by Christie Lea Adams

Photos courtesy of Annie Pade (see more of this event)