<description>&lt;div&gt;The Grand Canyon has always been a magnet for the bold, the reckless, and the people who look at a mile-deep chasm and think... yeah, I can take that. In this episode, we race through a century of jaw-dropping stunts, from a 1922 biplane pilot who somehow landed inside the park’s early boundaries to Nik Wallenda balancing across tribal land on a high-wire without a harness. Along the way we unravel how thrill-seekers dodged rules, rewrote them, or ignored them entirely in a quest to outdo nature itself. &lt;br&gt; &lt;strong&gt;&lt;br&gt; Sources:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/130622-grand-canyon-stunts-wallenda"&gt;&lt;br&gt; Grand Canyon Stunts Over the Years | National Geographic&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://explorethecanyon.com/wallenda-survives-terrifying-grand-canyon-tightrope-walk/#:~:text=As%20he%20battled%20strong%20winds,should%20have%20worn%20a%20harness?"&gt;&lt;br&gt; Wallenda Survives Terrifying Grand Canyon Tightrope Walk&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/airplaneintograndcanyon.htm"&gt;&lt;br&gt; 1922 - Into the Grand Canyon and Out Again by Airplane (U.S. National Park Service)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://explorethecanyon.com/grand-canyon-attractions"&gt;Attractions &amp;amp; Activities | Tourist Attractions | Grand Canyon IMAX&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/management/statistics.htm"&gt;&lt;br&gt; Park Statistics - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/management/filming.htm"&gt;&lt;br&gt; Filming, Photography and News Gathering - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nik-wallenda-completes-tightrope-walk-across-gorge-near-grand-canyon/"&gt;&lt;br&gt; Nik Wallenda completes tightrope walk across gorge near Grand Canyon - CBS News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://lasvegassun.com/news/2011/may/10/swiss-jetman-completes-flight-over-grand-canyon/"&gt;&lt;br&gt; Swiss ‘JetMan’ completes flight over Grand Canyon - Las Vegas Sun News&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/349633.stm"&gt;&lt;br&gt; BBC News | Americas | Knievel cracks Grand Canyon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/10/21/Scotts-World-Dont-Call-Him-Daredevil/6083340948800/"&gt;&lt;br&gt; Scott’s World: Don’t Call Him Daredevil - UPI Archives&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/airplaneintograndcanyon.htm"&gt;&lt;br&gt; 1922 - Into the Grand Canyon and Out Again by Airplane (U.S. National Park Service)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/historyculture/index.htm"&gt;&lt;br&gt; History &amp;amp; Culture - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/alex-honnold-skyscraper-live-news-release-date"&gt;&lt;br&gt; Alex Honnold, the Free Solo Climber, Will Try to Scale Taipei 101 in Netflix Live Special - Netflix Tudum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.thescroller.net/29603/10-escape-acts-and-daring-feats-that-left-viewers-stunned/"&gt;&lt;br&gt; 10 Escape Acts and Daring Feats That Left Viewers Stunned - The Scroller&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/130622-grand-canyon-stunts-wallenda"&gt;&lt;br&gt; Grand Canyon Stunts Over the Years | National Geographic&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.trtworld.com/article/b33b7cc2af5a"&gt;&lt;br&gt; The deadly cost of livestream culture: How pressure for views drives creators to extremes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/grand-canyon-base-jumping-justin-guthrie-seo/"&gt;&lt;br&gt; Authorities investigate tragic death following tourist's illegal stunt at Grand Canyon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; For a full list of our sources, visit &lt;a href="http://npadpodcast.com/episodes"&gt;npadpodcast.com/episodes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on &lt;a href="http://npadpodcast.com/"&gt;npadpodcast.com&lt;/a&gt; and our socials at:&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; Instagram: @nationalparkafterdark&lt;br&gt; TikTok: @nationalparkafterdark&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on &lt;a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/npadpodcast"&gt;Patreon&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/national-park-after-dark/id1549433407"&gt;Apple Podcasts&lt;/a&gt;. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our &lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/@NationalParkAfterDarkPodcast"&gt;YouTube Page&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; Thank you to the week’s partners!&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="http://smalls.com/NPAD"&gt;Smalls&lt;/a&gt;: For a limited time, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to &lt;a href="http://smalls.com/NPAD"&gt;Smalls.com/NPAD&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="http://blueland.com/npad"&gt;Blueland&lt;/a&gt;: Use our link to get 15% off your first order.&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://rocketmoney.com/npad"&gt;Rocket Money&lt;/a&gt;: Use our link to get started saving.&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://quince.com/npad"&gt;Quince&lt;/a&gt;: Use our link to get free shipping and 365-day returns.&lt;br&gt; &lt;a href="https://wondery.com/shows/against-the-odds/"&gt;Against The Odds&lt;/a&gt;: Follow Against The Odds: Tsunami in Thailand on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes early and ad-free right now on Wondery+.&lt;/div&gt; </description>

National Park After Dark

Audioboom Studios

340: Death-Defying Dreams: Grand Canyon’s Most Daring (and Foolish) Stunts

DEC 8, 202576 MIN
National Park After Dark

340: Death-Defying Dreams: Grand Canyon’s Most Daring (and Foolish) Stunts

DEC 8, 202576 MIN

Description

<div>The Grand Canyon has always been a magnet for the bold, the reckless, and the people who look at a mile-deep chasm and think... yeah, I can take that. In this episode, we race through a century of jaw-dropping stunts, from a 1922 biplane pilot who somehow landed inside the park’s early boundaries to Nik Wallenda balancing across tribal land on a high-wire without a harness. Along the way we unravel how thrill-seekers dodged rules, rewrote them, or ignored them entirely in a quest to outdo nature itself. <br> <strong><br> Sources:</strong><br> <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/130622-grand-canyon-stunts-wallenda"><br> Grand Canyon Stunts Over the Years | National Geographic</a><br> <a href="https://explorethecanyon.com/wallenda-survives-terrifying-grand-canyon-tightrope-walk/#:~:text=As%20he%20battled%20strong%20winds,should%20have%20worn%20a%20harness?"><br> Wallenda Survives Terrifying Grand Canyon Tightrope Walk</a><br> <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/airplaneintograndcanyon.htm"><br> 1922 - Into the Grand Canyon and Out Again by Airplane (U.S. National Park Service)</a><br> <a href="https://explorethecanyon.com/grand-canyon-attractions">Attractions &amp; Activities | Tourist Attractions | Grand Canyon IMAX</a><br> <a href="https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/management/statistics.htm"><br> Park Statistics - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)</a><br> <a href="https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/management/filming.htm"><br> Filming, Photography and News Gathering - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)</a><br> <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nik-wallenda-completes-tightrope-walk-across-gorge-near-grand-canyon/"><br> Nik Wallenda completes tightrope walk across gorge near Grand Canyon - CBS News</a><br> <a href="https://lasvegassun.com/news/2011/may/10/swiss-jetman-completes-flight-over-grand-canyon/"><br> Swiss ‘JetMan’ completes flight over Grand Canyon - Las Vegas Sun News</a><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/349633.stm"><br> BBC News | Americas | Knievel cracks Grand Canyon</a><br> <a href="https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/10/21/Scotts-World-Dont-Call-Him-Daredevil/6083340948800/"><br> Scott’s World: Don’t Call Him Daredevil - UPI Archives</a><br> <a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/airplaneintograndcanyon.htm"><br> 1922 - Into the Grand Canyon and Out Again by Airplane (U.S. National Park Service)</a><br> <a href="https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/historyculture/index.htm"><br> History &amp; Culture - Grand Canyon National Park (U.S. National Park Service)</a><br> <a href="https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/alex-honnold-skyscraper-live-news-release-date"><br> Alex Honnold, the Free Solo Climber, Will Try to Scale Taipei 101 in Netflix Live Special - Netflix Tudum</a><br> <a href="https://www.thescroller.net/29603/10-escape-acts-and-daring-feats-that-left-viewers-stunned/"><br> 10 Escape Acts and Daring Feats That Left Viewers Stunned - The Scroller</a><br> <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/130622-grand-canyon-stunts-wallenda"><br> Grand Canyon Stunts Over the Years | National Geographic</a><br> <a href="https://www.trtworld.com/article/b33b7cc2af5a"><br> The deadly cost of livestream culture: How pressure for views drives creators to extremes</a><br> <a href="https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/grand-canyon-base-jumping-justin-guthrie-seo/"><br> Authorities investigate tragic death following tourist's illegal stunt at Grand Canyon</a><br> <br> For a full list of our sources, visit <a href="http://npadpodcast.com/episodes">npadpodcast.com/episodes</a><strong><br> <br> </strong>For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on <a href="http://npadpodcast.com/">npadpodcast.com</a> and our socials at:<br> <br> Instagram: @nationalparkafterdark<br> TikTok: @nationalparkafterdark<br> <br> Support the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/c/npadpodcast">Patreon</a> or <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/national-park-after-dark/id1549433407">Apple Podcasts</a>. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/@NationalParkAfterDarkPodcast">YouTube Page</a>!<br> <br> Thank you to the week’s partners!<br> <a href="http://smalls.com/NPAD">Smalls</a>: For a limited time, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to <a href="http://smalls.com/NPAD">Smalls.com/NPAD</a>.<br> <a href="http://blueland.com/npad">Blueland</a>: Use our link to get 15% off your first order.<br> <a href="https://rocketmoney.com/npad">Rocket Money</a>: Use our link to get started saving.<br> <a href="https://quince.com/npad">Quince</a>: Use our link to get free shipping and 365-day returns.<br> <a href="https://wondery.com/shows/against-the-odds/">Against The Odds</a>: Follow Against The Odds: Tsunami in Thailand on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge all episodes early and ad-free right now on Wondery+.</div>