Nik Wallenda crosses Baltimore’s Inner Harbor on a high wire mounted more than 80 feet above the water. (Photo by pauls95blazer)
Spectators in Baltimore last night gasped when Nik Wallenda, scion of the famous Flying Wallendas tightrope act, nearly botched his high-wire traverse over the Inner Harbor. Wallenda, 33, walked some 300 feet above people, pavement and water in a promotion for Baltimore’s soon-to-open Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum.
In crossing the Inner Harbor, Wallenda mimicked a similar feat accomplished in 1973 by his great-grandfather, Karl, who founded the family act in 1922. Karl Wallenda died in 1978 while attempting to cross a wire between two hotel towers in San Juan, Puerto Rico. A 30-mile-per-hour gust of wind blew him off his perch, sending him 121 feet to his death on the pavement below.
Nik Wallenda nearly encountered a similar fate last night when about halfway through his skywalk, his footing slipped and nearly sent him plummeting into the harbor on on to the many people staring up at his daredevil antics. But Wallenda, who balanced himself on the one-inch thick cable by carrying a long rod, caught his fall by bending on one knee.
The Baltimore Sun, which chronicled the entire spectacle, reported that Wallenda’s near fall was the highlight of the evening, with some observers even wondering if it was intentional:
“It was fabulous,” said Anne Belcher, who came to watch. Belcher and other spectators debated whether Wallenda’s slip was genuine or just part of the show. The crowd erupted in gasps a few times, once when Wallenda tilted the long pole he used for balance nearly all the way to one side, and it oohed and aahed when he stopped halfway to kneel and wave.
The Inner Harbor traverse was a tune-up for Wallenda’s next stunt—a June 15 attempt to span Niagara Falls. But beside the rod, how does Wallenda manage to stay balanced? (Aside from the rare slip.) He wears leather moccasins sewn by his mother.
Watch Wallenda’s caper, including his near disaster about 1 minute 20 seconds in:
