Daredevil Nik Wallenda proved once again that he can defy both great odds and death at the same time after successfully crossing a tightrope more than a thousand feet above the Little Colorado River Gorge, Arizona on Sunday afternoon.
Wallenda pulled off another nerve-wracking, death-defying stunt on prime time TV as he successfully crossed one of the most dangerous valleys in the United States - the Little Colorado River Gorge.
Although the promotions that hyped it as a high wire act above the Grand Canyon was sort of misleading, it was still breathtaking to watch Wallenda walk on the cable wire without a safety net to catch him as he suspended roughly 1,500 feet above the ground.
Wallenda took around 20 minutes to successfully cross to the other side, much to the delight of his supporters and viewers on Discovery TV, which aired the stunt 10 seconds after its completion.
During his life-threatening walk, Wallenda was heard praying aloud while also asking for tips from his father, Karl Wallenda, about his footing and wind currents.
"These feel slippery, there's dust on the cable... Thank you Jesus, for this beautiful view. ... Praise you, Jesus. Oh, I love you. Thank you, Jesus. ... Lord, help this cable calm down. ... Yes, Jesus. Oh, you're my savior. Yes, Jesus. Yes, Jesus. ... God, you're so good. Thank you for this opportunity, Lord. ... Lord, help me to relax, Father," Wallenda said during his walk, according to Los Angeles Times.
"Help me to calm down, and relax. You are my king. Help me to relax, Lord. ... Yes, Lord. Relaxed. Oh, Lord, peace. ... I don't want to talk to anyone, Dad. The winds are way worse than I expected. ... I need to relax more. Hard to relax when you're 1,500 feet above the canyon. ... Thank you, Jesus. ... What happens is an optical illusion, and it freaks you out. Not fun."
Wallenda managed to overcome some breeze in the final half of the cable before finally jumping off to safety. He then kissed the ground and went straight to his family.
This is the second time in less than a year that the 34-year old daredevil crossed a beautiful yet dangerous landmark. In 2012, Wallenda crossed Niagara Falls on a 1,800 feet cable at a height of 180 feet, making him the first person to cross from US to Canada on a tightrope.