Comtrain started in 1996 and since has trained 30,000 climbers on how to safely work on a tower.

On Friday, I signed up for a training class to find out what it takes to do what the U.S. Bureau of Labor calls, by far, the most dangerous job in America.

"Tower dogs as we like to call them are the last real cowboys," proudly stated Comtrain President Winton Wilcox. "They don't walk up to the bottom of a tower and say that's not my job man. They just get it done. The mission is clear what ever it takes."

My mission: to learn what it takes to climb a tower safely. And, like any cowboy, the first thing I need is the right equipment, starting with the harness.

"This is your main fall arrest," explained Jeremy Collins. "Everything that happens if you do fall today is going to happen here."

Thirty pounds of equipment later, which included helmets, and numerous belts and buckles, I was ready for the safety meeting.

"There a few things we need to know on the site," stated Wilcox. "The most important thing is where is the first aid kit. Second issue is where is help if we need it? The third thing we want to know is, is there anything here that is dangerous? The last thing we need to do is have a plan is case something goes wrong."

"The one rule of thumb since you are new is this;" he continued. "100 percent connected to the tower at all times."

After, I had my equipment, safety lessons, and an emergency plan. It was now time to climb. The first 10 feet were pretty easy. But, after I got to a height were if I fell I would get hurt or die, it became a little uncomfortable.

I reached a height of 65 feet and the tower started to sway with the wind and every one of my movements. I decided that is where I would stop. Jeremy offered to set me up for a controlled descent. So, I took it.

"You climb two thousand feet like this?" I asked Jeremy as I prepared for my controlled descent. "Yes," he replied. "You're crazy," I stated. "Thanks," he responded.

After I reached the ground, Winton said to me, "You just did your first tower. Congratulations, and welcome to the steel."

What makes the job even more difficult is that they have to carry hundreds of pounds of equipment up the tower, and then perform the maintenance or repairs while suspended in mid-air.

Wilcox told me that the most common cause of death is what he calls "Testosterone Poisoning," which leads to carelessness.