A Walk to Remember

It was July 1970 when a little mountain town buried in the Blue Ridge Mountains suddenly woke up. A little man with a wire and a balancing pole arrived, and so did thousands more to catch a glimpse of what he was about to do. He stretched the wire across a gorge, invited the world to come watch, and they did. It was 65-year-old Karl Wallenda of Flying Wallenda fame who performed a skywalk with an estimated 30,000 people holding their breath. It took him 19 minutes to cross the 1,200-foot wide, 750-foot deep gorge. And when he did two headstands, well, the crowd roared and held their breath simultaneously.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of Karl Wallenda's historic walk across Tallulah Falls Gorge in Northeast Georgia, and plans were underway for his grandson Nik to follow in his grandfather's footsteps around the anniversary date of July 18. However, it became obvious that this wasn't the right time when earlier in the year, Nik called off the summer skywalk.
He has every "intent of returning to the gorge when things fall into place," he promises.
Even though Nik Wallenda won't walk the skywalk this year, it doesn't lessen the community's celebration of this historic event. For once upon a time, Karl Wallenda thought he could, and then he did.

One of the best views of the gorge is from the Tallulah Point Overlook, located on the old portion of Highway 441. Today, the bypass skirts past this historic landmark. Take a detour and don't miss one of the best views. While you're there, enjoy the crafts of local artisans while your sipping a Coke in a bottle.

A Conversation with Nik Walenda

Growing Up Wallenda | He, much like every Wallenda youngster, started on the wire around the age of two. He remembered a two-foot wire off the ground stretched out in his backyard; he has one in his backyard today. "We were playing," he says. He notes that he has "never been told to go practice on the wire." He continues with a phrase that you will hear each time you read or hear a Nik Wallenda interview: "What you call fear, I call respect."

Remembering Grandfather | "My ancestors are my heroes," says Nik. "I am standing on the shoulders of giants." He speaks of his grandfather as being "a huge inspiration to me" and the gorge walk as being "the greatest walk of his [grandfather's] career." To this day, he isn't sure what brought Karl Wallenda to North Georgia, other than the theory of being contacted by a businessman who was trying to promote the area. His daring walk immediately reinvigorated the mountains of North Georgia. 
In 1978, at the age of 73, Karl Wallenda attempted to walk between the towers of Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a walk which Nik says was never his most difficult. "It was actually one of the shortest walks he ever did - 150 foot long, 100 feet high."  Most accounts say his fall was due to the wind; not so, says Nik. "It was the rigging, not the wind. My grandfather trained on stable wires" and when the wind erupted, Karl could not and had not learned to compensate. For that reason, rigging is extremely important, and likewise, so is the training.

It’s Personal | Returning to Tallulah Falls Gorge is very personal. When everything falls into place, he would like to walk from the exact place his father began and ended. There probably wouldn't be towers (like those his grandfather used), but he has every intent of returning.The permission process must start at the top, he says, with the governor. Then sponsors, and financial backing. At this point, no one has approached the Wallenda team, yet everyone is asking the same question, when? "I've wanted to do this ever since I can remember. I have different emotions. Do i want this to be the last walk of my professional career? I go back-and-forth in my mind. It's definitely on my bucket list."

The Process | It usually takes a year from the initial idea to walk. "The longest process," he says, "is having a cable made." For Nic, he uses a different cable for every walk. Unlike other walkers (including some family) who use the same cable each time, he wants a new cable, one that has not been over stretched. Although it adds significantly to the cost of the entire process, this is non-negotiable.

This is My Life | "I eat, breathe, sleep, walking a wire. This is my passion. It pays the bills, and that's a perk." His parents didn't want him to pursue their daredevil lifestyle, mainly due to financial constraints. "They encouraged me to go elsewhere. Making a living was a challenge and my parents struggled through." At about the time he was heading off to college at age 18, he convinced his parents to allow him to join in the family recreation of the 7-Person Pyramid which they had made famous. "Just one performance," he said. And, "here I am."

My Team, My Life | "It's all a mindset," Nik says on the ultimate preparation for any walk. "I take something dangerous and make it as safe as possible." Not only does his preparation begin with a rigid mental strategy, but for he and his team, that means new cable, not cutting corners, for if you do it can "cost life", namely his. His team works off three layers of engineering and a 5-1 safety scale. Rescue teams can get to him no matter where he is on the wire within 90 seconds. "It costs a lot more, but in the end, it's my life." The extra time and effort and cost are ultimately rewarded. "We make sure everything is covered 10-fold." It is definitely a team effort, but in the end, he's "the boss. If we're going to do it, it's going to be safe; I'm not going to put anybody at risk."

Making It Big | "He [my grandfather] focused on the circus end of things. I like the big events, outdoing others." It was his grandfather that created the family name, but admittedly, "the next couple of generations didn't do anything big. They carried on, but they never did any big things so that people will not forget the Wallendas." Confident in his vision, Nik promises that he "will do great things. As Karl Wallenda was a household name, now Nik Wallenda and the Wallendas will remain a household name. I will build that brand." He is surely living by his statement: "Go bigger and go greater. You can't carry on a legacy by doing less; you have to do more."

The Grand Canyon | It had always been "a dream of mine that I always wanted to do. There were about 450 of us there; we made our own city." Usually drawing thousands, Nik was only surrounded by TV crews and his team; no one else was allowed in the isolated Canyon area where the Navajo nation granted permission for use. Then, it "starts with a helicopter and a rope," stringing the cable across the canyon. He prepares for each walk six-weeks prior to the event, wearing the shoes his mother makes specifically for each walk. In training, he walked forward as well as backwards the entire length, "training for the worst case." He had asked the producers to put a car on the floor of the canyon to offer perspective (which they couldn't do). "You can't tell proportions," he says. Does he look down? "I do look down," he says. "I try to enjoy it as much as possible, but until the last half [of the canyon walk] it was pretty uncomfortable." He trained in winds of 90 mph so he could face anything in the canyon; he encountered winds of 52 mph, causing cable movements of about 8 - 12 inches in each direction. "In a cable like that, it has a life of its own. It build rhythms and it will get bigger and bigger. I had to change my pace, cadence. I kneel down on the wire in order to change the rhythm. Then I get up and keep walking."

Next Up | Milwaukee Mile in August, 2015. This 1,600-foot-long walk will be his latest attempt since walking the rotating Orlando Eye (April 2015) and maneuvering between the towers in downtown Chicago (Nov. 2014). Currently, he is in training for this walk. He and his family also work with The Circus Arts Conservatory in Sarasota every two-to-three years, specifically with non-profit Circus Sarasota as a means of raising money for community outreach. They will re-create their famous 7-Person Pyramid. Nik is also working on a show FEARLESS about his family history which he hopes will debut summer 2016. He plans on a New York City premier "in a tent which is close to family history. A more intimate setting."

Bucket List | His response is quick. "Walk over an active volcano, the pyramids in Egypt, Rome, plus many others." And then, he remembers his grandfather. "I have a lot of dreams, and it's kind of like my grandfather is giving them to me. When I was walking Niagara Falls, I had some family come over from Germany. We met through a translator and one handed me a picture that my great-grandfather had sent to them. It was a picture of Niagara Falls that my grandfather had sent to them, back in the 40s. It was kind of like a nod. A full circle thing. A 'wink' that I [his grandfather] wanted you to do this."

Wallenda in summer 2015