VIDEO Nik Wallenda tightropes the “Grand Canyon”
“Don’t look down!”
Daredevil Nik Wallenda successfully managed to walk 1,400 feet across the Little Colorado River Gorge in Arizona on Sunday. The daredevil who calls himself “King of the Highwire” navigated the precarious stunt on a tightrope without the assistance of a tether or a safety net.
It took Wallenda 22 minutes and 54 seconds to become the first person ever to accomplish the feat. The snaking Little Colorado River looked like a mere ribbon 1,500 feet beneath him.
“It took every bit of me to stay focused that entire time,” Wallenda said. “My arms are aching like you wouldn’t believe.”
Wallenda’s astounding performance was broadcast live on Discovery, as well as the internet as people from 217 countries tuned in. The 7th-generation member of the Flying Wallendas had cameras rigged to his body. The 34-year-old used a 43-pound balancing pole to assist him during the crossing.
“It was a dream come true,” Wallenda said afterwords. “This is what my family has done for 200 years, so it’s part of my legacy.” Last year Nik became the first person to ever complete a high-wire walk across the brink of Niagara Falls.
While it was billed as a stunt across the Grand Canyon, the feat actually took place over the Little Colorado Gorge in the Little Colorado River Navajo Tribal Park, land of the Navajo Nation, located near Cameron, Arizona. The Grand Canyon National Park sent out a tweet making sure folks knew it wasn’t in the park.
As for the husband and father’s next challenge? Nik says he wants to traverse a walk from the Empire State Building to the Chrysler Building in New York City.
