Nik Wallenda performed a bit of a miracle on Friday as he walked over water. Some tourists find it exciting to take a boat under the water of Niagara Falls, but Wallenda went for a higher thrill by walking over it on a tightrope.
Wallenda, 33, was the first daredevil to perform the high wire walking stunt in 116 years, but he was the first to walk over the falls itself. His walk took place over Horseshoe Falls, the largest of three waterfalls that make up Niagara. Others have attempted the stunt further downstream over the Niagara River.
The terrifying walk along the rope was over a 1500 ft. distance. Within 26 minutes, using steady steps, Wallenda successfully crossed 200 ft. above the falls on a two inch wide wire.. As if the walk itself wasn't wild enough, Wallenda had to deal with high winds and the mist of the falls as he crossed. Although he wore a safety harness as a precaution, he didn't have to use it.
The Christian Science Monitor quoted Wallenda, ""I feel like I'm on cloud nine right now. I hope what I do and what I just did inspires people around the world to reach for the skies."
Tens of thousands of people came out to watch the historical act. Millions more watched on TV as it was broadcasted live.
The death defying walk was a dream for Wallenda, who comes from a family of tightrope walkers. The stunt was a tribute to Wallenda's family members who have died while high wire walking such as his great-grandfather, Karl Wallenda, who died after falling from a tightrope in Puerto Rico in 1978.
Wallenda spent months preparing for the stunt. He spent a fortune on creating the wire that he walked on. He also had to get permission from U.S. and Canadian authorities, especially Canada as they've had a ban on such stunts for over a century. Wallenda and his team also had to devise a way to set up the rope across the falls so that it would be steady and safe enough to walk across.
Wallenda has plans to take his stunt even further and walk across the Grand Canyon in the future. He already has permits to perform the stunt.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
