Nik Wallenda, a seventh generation member of the Flying Wallendas high-wire act, crossed Niagara Falls on a two-inch wire Friday night to earn a place in the record books.
The 33-year-old covered 1,800 feet in 25 minutes and 19 seconds, wearing elkskin-soled shoes and carrying a balance beam while a crowd estimated at 125,000 people watched the spectacle 200 feet overhead from either side of Niagara Falls.
At intervals throughout the crossing he could be heard uttered prayers when he wasn’t talking to his father on a headset or answering reporters questions.
The only concession that the daredevil reluctantly agreed to was wearing a safety harness that was secured to the wire and could be seen being pulled along behind him. To his relief it was not needed.
He said, “The mist was so challenging and the winds hit me, definitely more than I expected. It was definitely those winds, you can’t re-enact them, you can’t recreate them. Then my forearms started to tense up and you feel like running.”
He started the crossing on the U.S. side and ended up in Canada, where Customs officials made a show of asking him to present his passport. He gingerly removed the official document from a plastic bag and swore that he had not carried anything illegal over the border.
When the Customs official asked the purpose of his trip, he stated emphatically, “To inspire people around the world.”
Check out video below:
Photos: WENN, Video Screen Grabs