Over the years, I’ve built a reputation as something of a thrill-seeker. Trust me, I never set out to run with bulls, jump out of planes, swing from bridges, and dive with sharks. Yet one thing led to another, and a former desk-jobber morphed into the travel guy with a magazine column called “Thrillseeker.” So you’re probably thinking: “Of course Esrock would choose to walk outside on one of the world’s tallest free-standing structures. It’s probably something he does every day.” Not quite, although I did walk around the edge of Macau’s 233-metre Skytower, shortly before I bungee jumped off the damn thing.
The CN Tower EdgeWalk is over 100 metres higher than that, and the view over Lake Ontario and the city beats anything Macau, much less anywhere else, has to offer. Sucked in by the CN Tower’s vortex, I decided to join a group of tourists ranging in age from 23 to 68. Piercing the sky, head and shoulders above anything else, Canada’s most iconic building landmark was declared a Wonder of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. It is a true engineering marvel, 553.33 metres at almost pure vertical, beautifully illuminated at night to become more than just an observation deck and communications tower. The CN Tower is construction as art, Canadian ingenuity at scale, a soaring symbol of Toronto and beyond. Why wouldn’t you want to step outside on its rim, put your toes over the edge, and place the world at your feet?
Danger? Come on, people, this is one of Canada’s busiest tourist attractions. Even though we sign the customary waiver, the emphasis on safety is miles ahead of similar attractions I’ve encountered in Asia and New Zealand. After all, this is the world’s highest full-circle, hands-free walk, and we will be walking on a 1.5-metre-wide ledge 356 metres above ground on the Tower’s main pod.
After taking a Breathalyzer test for alcohol and drugs, we are asked to lock up all loose items — watches, earrings, wallets, necklaces — and slip on a rocket-red walk suit. Our harnesses are checked and quadruple-checked, shoes tightened (twice), glasses attached with string, hair tied up. I see familiar looks of “I don’t know why I’m doing this, but I must do it all the same.”
You can see every one of the CN Tower’s 116 storeys in the elevator as you ascend the external glass-faced shaft. Suddenly, the height becomes real. Suddenly, the only illustrious CN Tower record I can remember is that 360, the restaurant located 351 metres up, holds the Guinness World Record for the World’s Highest Wine Cellar.
In a small control centre, alongside a monitor recording wind speeds and weather, we get clipped in (twice, with additional zip ties) to a steel overhead track. You’ve more chance of spontaneously combusting than of slipping out of this contraption. Our affable guide, Christian, tells me that although he’s undergone extensive training, his only qualification for the job was his healthy fear of heights. Empathy with clients is a natural asset.
He leads us onto the metal walkway and invites us to walk right up to the edge, our toes hanging over. Even though I know we’re safer up here than the folks in the Hot Wheels–sized cars stuck in traffic below, my mind does its best to convince me that leaning over the edge of the CN Tower is not something my body should do. Fortunately, I stopped listening to myself years ago, so I follow my fellow EdgeWalkers pushing their limits and shuffle up to the edge. We applaud our efforts, swap high-fives and breathe in the sweeping view below.
As the walk continues around the tower, we hit the windy side, with 53-kilometre-an-hour gusts of warm air instantly pickling our adrenal glands. Christian has to holler to point out landmarks. This time he encourages us to lean forward over the edge, on our tiptoes. Each challenge is ably met, so by the time the group returns to the sheltered side, facing the sea that is Lake Ontario on a day so clear I can make out the buildings at Niagara Falls, everyone is comfortable enough to lean back and smile for the photos. Arms outstretched, heels balanced on the edge, we embrace the sky with huge smiles on our faces. You don’t have to be a thrill-seeker to benefit from a little edge.
START HERE: canadianbucketlist.com/edgewalk