Nik Wallenda tightrope walking 1800 feet across the widest part of Niagara Falls and 200 feet high in 25 minutes on June 15, 2012 Nik Wallenda Niagara Tightrope Walk The Great Blondin was first to tighrope walk across Niagara Falls on June 30, 1859 and did it again six weeks later carrying his manager Harry Colcord on his back. While ten daredevils have tightroped across Niagara Falls, the last being 21-year old James Hardy in 1896, all were made further from the waterfall and not as dangerous. Now 116 years later, high wire artist Nik Wallenda will tightrope walk across the widest & steepest part of Niagara Falls. He is from The Flying Wallenda family famous for their high-wire performances where several have plunged to their death. Nik says that the high-wire act is not a stunt but a feat requiring great physical training. For the Niagara event, Nik practiced for eleven straight days with fire trucks spraying him with water and a high-powered fan blowing to simulate windy conditions at Niagara Falls. At 10:16 pm on June 15, 2012 Nik begins his tightrope walk across 1800 feet of Niagara Falls on 2-inches diameter wire with a 40-foot pole and wearing elk-skin shoes made by his Mom. The mist was thick and turbulent waters below made it hard to see the wire he's walking on and the wind was wild hitting him on all sides that he kneels down to pray so he could continue. He says "I'm strained and drained, it's so physical, my hands are going numb and I'm feeling weak, only endurance will carry me across to the finish, it's so good to hear cheering on the other side." After 25 minutes of travail, Nik Wallenda sees his Dad and sprints to the platform with 125,000 Canadians cheering and a billion TV viewers watching his feat.     — Peter Y. Chou         Mountain View, 6-30-2012

Blondin was first to tightrope walk across Niagara Falls on June 30, 1859 Blondin carries manager Harry Colcord across Niagara Falls on August 14, 1859 Nik Wallenda begin tightrope walk across Niagara 07:39 (Platonic Lambda stride) Nik Wallenda tightrope walk across Niagara 08:05 from American side Nik Wallenda tightrope walk across Niagara 23:56 kneeling down to pray Nik Wallenda tightrope walk across Niagara 24:17 "strained & drained" Nik Wallenda walking across Niagara 25:00 near finish on Canadian side