It only took one man, one wire, and one day in the summer of 1970 to make both the man and the place a legend. When Karl Wallenda constructed a wire across Tallulah Falls Gorge in Northeast Georgia, thousands of people swarmed into the tiny mountain town of Clayton to witness the extraordinary feat first hand. It wasn’t enough to read it in next Tuesday’s community paper or see it on the evening newscast days later; they had to see it to believe it. And see it they did. It took him 19 minutes to cross at 1,200-foot wide, 750 deep gorge – and in-between – he did two handstands.
It has been 45 years since the Great Wallenda walked across the gorge, and the family Wallenda is still doing the impossible, pushing limits, testing their skills. Karl Wallenda’s grandson Nik carries on the family legacy in grand fashion; he has conquered Niagara Falls, the skyscrapers of Chicago and even the Grand Canyon. How and why? I’ll tell you.
This summer Nik traveled to Clayton, Georgia, his first time visiting the city that his grandfather put on the map. Many in the community hoped this was the year that history would repeat itself; not this year, says Nik, “but it’s on my list.”
Still they hoped and pleaded, but it was his charismatic character and level-headedness that persuaded the hopeful that it will come, in time. For upon this visit, he was there to discover what drew his grandfather to this location above all others. From the living history at the Foxfire Museum to the awe-inspiring views at the state park, Nik understood the draw of the North Georgia Mountains.
Click here for Nik’s story and more about the city of Clayton!
Judy and Len Garrison are at home in Farmington, Georgia, just on the outskirts of Dawg country – better known as Athens. Len, an IT manager for a major Atlanta company, and Judy, an editor, author and travel writer, invite you to travel along with them as they explore the best of the South. Email them at seeingsouthern@gmail.com. Visit their website at Seeing Southern, and follow them on Twitter at @judyhgarrison, @seeing_southern, LIKE them on Facebook and on Instagram.
