What a rush!
Did you see Nik Wallenda walk across the Grand Canyon on a wire yesterday during the Discovery Channel’s “Skywire Live” special?
For 22 minutes and 54 seconds I walked with him the full 1,400-feet, putting myself in his special walking shoes!
Lots of great aerial views and the camera panned slowly in one direction causing the illusion of him almost running across the wire. Nik wore an earpiece and a microphone so you could hear him talking. He prayed a lot.
But Nik Wallenda was born to do this. He’s a seventh-generation member of the famous “Flying Wallendas” family (photo right). He first stepped onto a wire when he was 2 years old, and has since set seven Guinness World Records.
For 32 of his 34 years, he has trained on walking a wire for three to four hours per day, five days a week. Wallenda’s personal hero is his great-grandfather, Karl Wallenda, who fell to his death in 1978 while performing a high wire act in Puerto Rico at 73 years old. I can remember seeing the tragic fall on the news and thinking what processes people to put their lives on the line like that?
I didn’t understand then, and I still don’t to be frank. Nik is a religious guy and prayed all the way. But, I can’t help wondering what God thought about him risking his life for…what? Money? Fame? This daredevil feat was not something Jesus would have recommended his disciples do to get to heaven.
Then again, he might have. The Wallenda family makes their living at Heaven’s Gate. There’s no lack of fans to watch when a Wallenda does something crazy. It’s kind of a family tradition. For them, and for us!
Do you want more? Here’s a slideshow of Death defiers that will leave you gasping with suspense!
Time for me to walk on down the road…
No comments:
Post a Comment